Brothers (END)
by Dragneel777
Summary: After the games things seem to be settling down a bit- however Natsu still has weird dreams about fighting battles that he doesn't remember- and being with people that he's never met before. When Natsu is attacked by a man from his past he may come to realize that this is much older than he can remember... (Sequel to Games) (Spoiler Alert!) (Image is not my own-it is a temp.)
1. Chapter 1

**AAAAAAANNNNDDDD-**

 **Book Two of my E.N.D series has begun!**

 **Here's Chapter one for you guys!**

 **And thank you for the reviews from the last chapters) of book one from-**

 **-Attackoneverything**

 **-Iris Patton**

 **-Enjali**

 **-Snowflake**

 **-Deboo**

 **-Kim**

 **-Guest**

 **(x2)**

 **-ETHERIOUS NATSU**

 **Book one seemed to be a big hit (I'm happy for that!) I'm glad that you all liked book one enough for a sequel!**

 **Make sure to keep an eye on the author's notes because I might be posting information on other fanfics that I am working on (including one that is new!)**

 **Feel Free to review!**

 **No Flames Please!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **All rights go to Hiro Mashima**

 **...FT...**

It was a sunny day- the blue sky only had a few clouds spotting it here and there. The wind was gentle- giving the grass a light push- Making the field look more like an ocean as it swayed back and forth.

Next to the man a leaf was pushed by a breeze that had been a tad bit stronger than the rest- pushing up against the young man's shoulder. Before it was pushed past him- lifting up and disappearing somewhere out of the man's sight. (If his eyes had been open at the moment- however, he was content just laying where he was.

The man sighed to nobody but himself, after all that's the only person who could be near him without dying. Not even his little brother-

The man, you could call him a boy- he didn't look very old after all. No matter- he was four hundred years old. He ran a hand through his soft black hair, afterwards using the same hand to cover his face. The sun was way too bright for the Dark Mage, it always was. However, he also felt no need to move- the wind was just perfect, and the sun wasn't all that hot- bright- but not hot.

The young man frowned silently and opened his eyes- staring straight up at one of the few clouds in the sky, watching its movement as it went- heading East it seemed.

 _I wonder what you're doing right now Natsu..._

...FT...

Hundreds of miles away a building exploded- startling the entire town- for only a second after to be covered in ice, "What the hell are you doing Ice Princess!" A familiar voice yelled and the entire town could only watch at the poor historic building caught fire again- only to be frozen once again (to the townsfolk horror)- the process repeating itself over again several times as lame insults were yelled between the two Fairy Tail Mages.

"Making sure you don't burn down the whole forest Flamebrain!"

"Frostbite!"

"Dragon Breathe!"

"Popsicle!"

"Knock it off you two!" A woman's voice yelled, followed by a loud _clang_ that not only stopped the fight- but also cleared that part (if not the whole) forest- the dust cleared revealing the two men lying in craters made by their own bodies.

"Yes mam!"

"Aye!"

Lucy sighed while watching the three of them at a safe distance, (One that she would not be hit from) As the mighty red-head pummeled the two male Mages deeper into the ground. "Really guys?" The small bluenette Wendy stood next to her- holding the white Exceed in her arms- who gave an annoyed sigh as she watched the three of them.

"Could those three get anymore immature?" She scolded them- despite not a single one of them had listened to her.

"At least we know that everything is normal." Wendy said- looking for the good in their current situation, looking down at her feline friend- and the white cat sighed.

"True." The White Exceed said- knowing full well that no matter how much she scolded them things were going to turn out the same- that's how Fairy Tail worked-

"Aye!" The blue cat next to her exclaimed, "Wouldn't be Fairy Tail without it."

-A bunch of stubborn, destructive, determined, and powerful mages- not to mention simpletons at times. But still never a guild to pick a fight with- as so many others had come to realize.

"I may be able to pay my rent without it." The blonde Celestial Mage whined. Then she looked up at the demolished building and kissed her rent money goodbye... again. Hopefully she would be able to get another job before her rent money was due, or risk facing the wrath of her landlady. The blonde sighed at the thought.

The pink haired Fire Mage peeked back at the Celestial Mage, "What's up Luce?" The idiot asked as if it wasn't obvious from the amount of damage around them-

But the blonde must've been surrounded by idiots as Erza and Gray turned, "Is something bothering you Lucy?" The redhead asked.

"Did the Flamebrain do something to upset you?" the stripper (who conveniently lost his close- again) asked, glaring over at Natsu- who easily returned the glare- getting up in the Ice Mage's face.

"Why me?" Natsu yelled, "And go put on some clothes you damn pervert!"

"Who are you calling a pervert Ash for Brains!"

"You! You naked pervert icicle!"

"Enough you two." Erza said- immediately shutting the two boys up again (and in the meantime having them hug each other out of mutual fear of the redhead.). "And Gray- do put some clothes on."

Gray stepped back and looked down at himself- throwing his hands in the air, "Wha- where the hell did my clothes go!"

"I told you they were gone!" Natsu snapped.

Lucy stared at the group and couldn't help but to smile- her earlier sigh all but forgotten, but that was alright. Compared to three weeks earlier- she tensed up at the memory of seeing Natsu on that infirmary bed after the fight against Dallas, struggling to even breathe- that was something that she never wanted to see again. She stopped and looked over to where the pinkette was laughing and talking with his blue Exceed friend Happy, the Dragon Slayer caught the blonde looking his way and he shot a grin over at her.

To even think that there was even a chance that they would never see that grin from the most destructive Mage in the guild was rattling to think about. And she knew that she wasn't the only one- the whole guild seemed shaken up by the event- The Master hadn't even allowed the Dragon Slayer to go out on a job for a couple of weeks- and now he had to be with his team- no solo missions.

Not that Natsu took solo missions much anymore.

That seemed like a lifetime ago-

However, the more troubling part was that no one who was responsible for the event were ever caught- leaving everybody even more paranoid about the event. The Five Light Guilds that were involved with the game stayed close in contact- all of them having their eyes out for their unknown enemy.

Death Cloud had disappeared after the final round- along with all the other Dark Guilds- along with Black Knight-

And Kirum Kortorzi.

After the final round when Kortorzi had been defeated he disappeared- not even waiting until the end of the round to vanish- the Rest of Black Knight had waited until after the match against Shantire, leaving that very night while the light guilds left in the morning- the rest of the town disappearing before they could get any real answers.

Leading to the next mystery- who was Shantire?

The Fairy Tail Mages never did find out who was behind those games. Or who had enough power to create an illusion lo large and powerful to make a huge group (including some Wizard Saints) believe that they were in a real town in the middle of a real game- when in truth they were just running around a forest...

The Celestial Mage stole one more glance over at Natsu- whoever was after Natsu was still out there.

"Let's go collect our reward." Erza said as she peeked back.

"Right on!" Natsu cheered.

"Sounds good to me." Gray said-

In the meanwhile, Lucy just sighed.

...FT...

The group made their way back to the mayor's house- receiving practically a death glare from the man as soon as they walked into the room and the whole team sighed-

Here we go again.

After being chewed out by the mayor of the town over the extensive amount of damage they (mostly Natsu) had caused they were led out of the mansion where as soon as they stepped out the maid gave a little bow, "Have a nice day." The door slammed on the team- leaving them outside- at least they had been given the reward that was left from all the damage costs. Natsu turned and stuck his tongue out at the door. "Stingy."

Wendy looked at Carla, "I kinda feel bad- apparently that building was important to the town."

"Aye." Happy agreed and also stuck his tongue out.

Erza peeked back, "There's no need for that you two- there's nothing that can be done now. Come along- we should head back."

Immediately Natsu turned green at the thought of the train. "Train? Can't we walk back to Magnolia?"

...FT...

"I swear If you barf I'm gonna throw you out the window." Gray threatened sitting back so his feet weren't touching the ground- just in case- watching the sick Dragon Slayer groan in pain as the pinkette leaned against the window.

Lucy sighed, "I'll never get over how painful that looks." She said and winced as the Dragon Slayer let out a pitiful whine. Then she sighed and looked over at Wendy- who also looked a little green.

"You can't be serious child..." Carla complained.

Wendy didn't answer- she couldn't as her face turned even greener, then whined and curled up on the bench and Carla sighed, "Looks like Troia is going to be out of the option- even though I'm sure that by now Natsu's body has formed some kind of resistance to it-" She stopped and winced herself as Natsu let slip another pitiful whine, sounding completely opposite of their normal hyperactive Dragon Slayer.

Erza sighed after the third whine, "I guess there's no other choice- come sit next to me Natsu." Erza said as the red head patted the spot next to her. Lucy sweat dropped and stood up to move to Natsu's old spot- already well aware of what was about to happen.

"Aye-" Natsu whimpered and somehow managed to move his body over to where Erza sat and plopped down next to her.

He felt her patting the top of his head and whispering to him gently- then he felt hard metal colliding with his stomach and a blinding pain- then he fell into blissful darkness.

Lucy sighed as Erza knocked out the Fire Mage- letting him sleep away with his head on her lap. Then she looked over at Wendy, "Do you need any help Wendy?"

"I-I'm good." The bluenette said and curled up a little more- practically trying to will her body to forget about the motion sickness.

"Don't even suggest such a thing!" Carla snapped.

Erza looked over at the white Exceed- clearly confused. Lucy sighed once more- If Erza were to "help" the poor girl, she'd end up seriously hurting her on accident.

The blonde looked at the sleeping pinkette and smiled softly- he looked so peaceful while he slept, "I guess he's having a good dream." Lucy said- not realizing she spoke out loud.

The others paused their activities and looked over at the Fire Mage. "Looks like it." Gray smirked and leaned back.

Erza smiled softly and pushed back the pinkette bangs.

...FT...

 _It was a small house in a small village in the middle of nowhere- but that was plenty for the toddler. It had just enough bedrooms for the amount of people that lived there- but wasn't so impossibly big that the child would never be able to find his way around. The meadow around the house quickly gave way to a line of trees that went a little ways before coming to another meadow- that's where they would meet their family friend-after all he was far too big to fit inside the house._

 _The village was peaceful- and they loved the family- despite the rumors- there was no doubting how much the father had done for them over the years- and well as the mother._

 _Then there was the toddler- no one could hate that child with the goofy grin that he wore all the time._

 _The Toddler giggled and he watched himself through his eyes as he wobbled his way across the house- a happy feeling rising in him as he did so._

 _The front door was open and the toddler wandered outside- stopping and looking around until he found what he was looking for._

" _Mommy!" The child yelled- gaining the woman's attention as he giggled and reached out his tiny hands towards the woman and ran over to her._

 _He couldn't see her face- but he knew that she gave the child a warm smile as he approached. She opened her mouth and said something- but no words came out._

 _Nonetheless the child giggled anyways- the child's grin expanding (if that were even possible) as the woman ruffled his soft pink hair._

 _The child giggled once more as the woman stood up- picking him up along with her- she seemed to call out to somebody and the child's eyes sparkled with excitement._

...FT...

Natsu groaned as he opened his eyes- his stomach was hurting- whether that be from the motion sickness or Erza's punch he wasn't too sure- probably both.

The pinkette groaned once more and rolled over onto his back- eyes widening and he tensed up when he remembered that he was on the bench- which means that he was going to fall off-

Except he didn't.

The Dragon Slayer frowned and looked around- frowning even more when he realized that he was on the ground. He looked up at the roof of the train confused- where were the others? And why was it so loud? He looked around- seeing no sign of Erza, Lucy, or the stripper. He craned his neck too took over to where he heard a small whimper. Not too far away from him was Wendy- the two Exceed were in between the two of them. the poor girl's eyes spinning and her face green from the motion sickness-

Which reminded him-

The Dragon Slayer turned pale and whimpered as his stomach churned- gaining the attention of the blue Exceed next to him. "Natsu?"

Natsu frowned, confused as he heard the sounds of fighting- the Fire Mage forced himself to look up, and could barely see Erza and Gray fighting off somebody from the front of the train- they rushed out of his sight- leaving Lucy as the only one in his sight.

"Wha-"

"Somebody attacked the train." Happy explained.

Natsu groaned and tried pushing himself up- only to fall back down once again as his motion sickness got the best of him.

He could see the shine of Lucy's key as she tugged on it. "Open! Gate of the Lion! Leo!" She yelled and the lion spirit appeared.

"Is somebody bothering you Lucy?"

"Loke- we need to take these guys out!"

Loke looked over in Natsu's direction- confused at first then he seemed to understand before turning away, "Very well, consider it done." Loke said then rushed forward- Lucy right behind him as she pulled out her whip.

Both moved out of Natsu's sight and he groaned. _Dammit I'm not just gonna lay here and do nothing while the others fight!_ He thought angrily, before trying to push himself up again- flinching as he heard an explosion. Making the Dragon Slayer's head snap over as he tried to get a view of what was going on.

 _What was that? That didn't sound like it was in the train-_

The Dragon Slayer pulled himself up to his feet. "Natsu!" Happy cried and flew up so he was at level with the pinkette eyes, trying to get his friend's attention. "The other's said that you should stay here." The Exceed said- clearly worried for his friend.

Natsu let out a growl- as he took another step forward, his legs shaking. "Like I'm just gonna sit here and do nothing-"

"You're on a train Natsu- you'd just get in the way." The Exceed tried to argue- moving in the way again with his arms out.

Natsu took another step and scowled over at his friend, "I'm not that useless-" He stopped, then his frown deepened as he looked at the floor at his feet- something was wrong. It felt as if it was leaning-

A pen from Lucy's bag rolled across the floor and the Dragon Slayer's eyes widened as he realized what was going on.

...FT...

The attacks came out of nowhere- one moment team Natsu sat peacefully then they were ambushed the next- barely able to dodge, an attack almost hitting Natsu as Erza threw herself and the pinkette to the floor- where she briefly checked on him, relieved to find that he was unharmed before requipping into her Heavens Wheel and running forward to attack- leaving the unconscious Natsu on the floor and blocked a blade aimed at her. She looked around- counting at least four Mages that had been hiding with the normal passengers. She looked over at Gray- who used an Ice Hammer to knock one of the Mages out- then quickly created a shield to protect him and the downed Dragon Slayers behind him.

The compartment door opened- startling the Fairies as passengers ran screaming from the front of the train, "What's going on?" Lucy asked one of the people running by- letting Gray and Erza fight off the last two Mages that were in their compartment.

The first passenger ignored her and continued running. "A group of Dark Mages took control of the front of the train!" a different passenger yelled as he ran past- following the crowd to the back of the train.

Lucy peeked over at Erza- who nodded, "In that case we shall head to the front of the train."

Gray peeked over, "What about Flamebrain and Wendy?" The Ice Mage asked- looking over at the Dragon Slayers, one unconscious- while the other one might as well have been. "They can't fight as long as this train is moving- they'll be in huge trouble if someone attacks them now." He said- not bothering to mention that the Requip Mage had probably hit Natsu hard enough to keep him under for the rest of the day.

Erza looked back at Natsu then turned to one of the passengers- grabbing him so he couldn't run, "Before you go you said that they are in the front of the train?"

"Y-yes..."

"How many?"

"Too many- now let me go!" The man pulled away and continued running towards the back of the train- practically running over other people to get there.

"Nobody is running from the back of the train so it's safe to assume that none of the Dark Mages are back there." The redhead mumbled.

"Or at least they haven't acted up yet." Gray responded and the redhead nodded.

Then Erza turned- facing the front of the train-summoning her sword and pointed it ahead. "Gray- Lucy, we're heading towards the front- Lucy will stop at the next compartment ahead of this one. Happy and Carla, stay here with Natsu and Wendy- yell if you need any backup- Lucy will be in hearing range." The Requip Mage ordered.

"Got it!"

"Aye sir!"

Erza and Gray immediately took off- Lucy summoning Loke before following after. She ran forward to the next compartment, stopping there and making sure that no Dark Guild members got past her.

One of the Dark Mages sneered as he saw her, "Well if it isn't a fairy?" He teased, noticing the pink Fairy Tail guild mark stamped onto the Celestial Mage's hand. The Dark Mage chuckled as he summoned a sword. "This is gonna be easy.

 _Great, Erza just had to leave some behind for me to deal with._ Lucy sighed as she tugged on her whip, "You're not getting past me." She declared.

Next to her Loke tensed up, "And you won't be hurting a hair on Lucy's head you Dark Mage scumbag."

"I won't get past you huh?" The man teased, "And what are you hiding back there?" The Dark Mage sneered, "Now I'm curious- that means that I'm gonna cut through you girly then rip apart whatever it is that you're trying to protect." Then he ran forward-

Only to be punched back by Loke- who scowled. "I guess you didn't hear me. So, let's make this very clear- you will not harm Lucy as long as I still draw breath." The Lion said with a scowl.

The Dark Mage scowled at the Celestial Spirit, "You- what the hell are you?"

"My name is Leo the Lion- and I am the most powerful of the Celestial Spirits." Loke said as he fixed his tie. "Now come at me Dark Mage Scum."

...FT...

Erza and Gray ran forward- cutting down one Dark Mage after the next as they made their way to the engine. The Requip Mage scowled as she looked around. _There are so many of them! How did we not notice any of these people before?_

"Erza- do you feel that?" Gray called up.

Erza peeked back, "Feel what?"

Gray slid to a stop- making a quick ice ball- no larger than his palm and knelt down- carefully setting it on the floor and the two Mages watched with their eyes widening as the ball rolled off to the side, "The trains leaning- are we supposed to be turning?"

"Not for another ten miles." Erza said then rushed forward, "We must hurry- they are planning to throw this train off the tracks." She said as the two mages felt a sharp jolt coming from the train.

Gray stood up and rushed after her, "Why the hell would they want to do that?" He yelled- nearly losing his footing on the next jolt.

"We'll ask them once this train is safely stopped and everybody aboard is safe from harm." Erza said as she opened the next compartment and they were attacked by ten Dark Mages.

Gray pressed the side of his fist against the palm of his hand, "Ice Make! Cannon!" He yelled and shot down the compartment- taking out three Dark Mages at once- leaving the rest of them to Erza as she rushed forward,

"Step aside scum!" The Fairy Queen yelled (ordered) as she struck down the rest of them, "Pentagram Sword!"

The attack struck then the two of them rushed forward- jumping over the downed Mages and threw the last door open as they came up to it- stopping just in time to see the engine car be thrown to the side- separate from the rest of the train.

"That's not good." Gray mumbled as he lost sight of the engine.

"Prepare for impact!" Erza yelled and grabbed the side and looked out in time to see the earth hitch up and throw the train off the tracks and onto its side in a violent crash.

...FT...

Natsu felt the train lurch and he had never moved so fast in his life- despite the motion sickness. By the second jolt he had grabbed Happy from midair and rushed over to where Carla and Wendy were- grabbing the two of them as well and peeking up-

And catching a silhouette of a man standing in the doorway to the compartment of the train- he seemed to be looking around for something- or at least that Natsu could tell.

Natsu froze- staring directly at the man as he subconsciously held on to the other three a bit tighter- his breathing became heavy and he could hear the pulse in his ears as he tried to focus on the man- but between the increasing shaking and smoke- along with his motion sickness he couldn't focus on anything.

Except through it all he saw the man turn in his direction- and despite not being able to focus on his face he knew the man was looking directly at him and was well aware that the Fire Dragon Slayer was there and that he saw him.

He saw the man smile- not a friendly smile, more like a sneer of a man who's won a dirty game. Then the man vanished and Natsu felt his gut clench as the train was thrown off the tracks.

Natsu did the only thing he could in the time that was allowed- and that was to hold Happy, Wendy, and Carla as close to him as possible-

"N-Natsu-San-" Wendy mumbled.

"What are you doing!" He heard Carla yell.

He rolled in midair- so that he would be the one to take the impact- knowing that they weren't on the ground anymore.

The Fire Mage felt the impact-

Then was thrown into darkness- hearing Happy scream-

"Natsu!"

...FT...

Magnolia was a peaceful town in Fiore- it was well known for its large Kardia Cathedral- and each year the Sakura trees would glow a rainbow color, they had a wonderful festival each year as well.

However, what was most well known about the town was its Mage Guild. The strongest and most famous (or in some cases infamous) Mage Guild in Fiore-

Fairy Tail.

The building itself looked like a castle and looked to be in perfect shape- despite how many times the guild had been destroyed in the past- whether it be by powerful enemies or by the regular guild brawls that would often take place.

For that exact reason the guild was rarely quiet- there was always something going on. May it be another fight- or some party for no reason at all, the guild hall could always be heard down the street.

So, on a day that the guild was oddly quiet the Guild Master Makarov Dreyar couldn't help to feel a tad bit worried. He looked around to see which teams were missing- only Natsu's team. The old man took a drink from his mug.

 _If I remember correctly they should be taking the next train back- it should be here in about an hour from now-_

His thoughts were rapidly interrupted by a guild member running into the guild- throwing the doors wide open with a "Master!" and running farther in, not even bothering to close them behind it. "There's trouble-"

"What is it?" The Master asked and the main guild members stood up as the painting one pushed himself back up to his feet- the Guild Hall suddenly was completely silent- to the point that you could have heard a pin drop if somebody had-

"A-a train heading into Magnolia just now was attacked, it was the one that was supposed to arrive in this next hour." The Guild Member stuttered- pointing outside as if he was pointing in the direction of the train.

The rest of the guild members stood up- shocked by the news- Dark Guild acting up in the area were rare these days- "What? By who?"

"Supposedly it was a Dark Guild-"

"And what of the train?" Makarov asked before any of the other members could speak up one more- directing all the attention to him.

The guild member looked back over at him, "The train was thrown clear off the tracks- by about fifty feet. The Magic Council is supposedly there now retrieving survivors."

The Guild Master's heart painfully thundered while his stomach twisted in knots- as his mind registered the issue- _my brats were on that train._

"Get a team ready- and Jet-" The Master spoke up and the speedy mage stood up, "Go make sure that Porlyusica is ready when we get back just in case." The Guild Master ordered the Speed Mage.

Jet frowned in confusion- but nodded nonetheless and immediately took off- leaving behind nothing more than a cloud of dust in his wake.

"Laxus- bring your team, Also Mira, bring Elfman and Lisanna." The Master ordered as he hopped off his normal spot- heading towards the entrance to the guild hall.

Laxus sighed and stood up- not fully knowing what was going on- but knew full well that it had to be serious to get that kind of a reaction from the old geezer. "Alright."

Mira frowned worryingly, "The Magic Council are already there-" the Take Over Mage spoke, "Is there something the matter Master?" The Take Over Mage asked- speaking the question that the whole guild had on their minds.

And the guild was silent as the Guild Master answered-

"Natsu's team was most likely aboard that train."

 **.**

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 **.**

 **.**

 **...FT...**

 **Alright! Chapter one is out!**

 **Sorry for the cliffhanger- although you should all be used to that one by now (hehe)-**

 **This one is going to be even longer than book one (I've already got the whole thing planned out!)**

 **Feel free to review**

 **But no Flames plz!**

 **Til next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow- I had to do some stuff before the next chapter so when I checked the review I was overwhelmed! I'm glad you all like this story so much and it was only the first chapter!**

 **WELL ON WE GO!**

 **Here's Chapter two**

 **Thanks for reviews from-**

 **-KatsumiMomoe**

 **-cheeseries**

 **-Nashi**

 **-Adrien Agreste**

 **-nashi hearfillia**

 **-Snowflake**

 **-Attackoneverything**

 **-Deboo**

 **-Barbatos lupus**

 **-monamonalisa17**

 **-SacredBladeAlchemist**

 **Feel free to review!**

 **No Flames Plz! (Natsu will just eat them- and that will give him power to go destroy more stuff, which is the last thing I need right now...)**

 **Enjoy!**

 **I do not own Fairy Tail- all rights go to Hiro Mashima**

 **...FT...**

Smoke rose from the train laying on its side- or what was left of it. Rubble was thrown everywhere- while the earth was ripped to shreds around the train. The train itself lay at least fifty feet from the tracks, ripped to shreds- the still whole pieces of it were still smoldering.

Gray let out a yell as he threw a piece of the train off him- looking over to see Erza making her way out of the rubble. "Erza!"

The redhead looked over in the Ice Mage's direction- she must've been thrown a bit because when the train crashed she was right next to him- and now they were ten meters apart, "I'm relieved to see that you're alright." Erza said as she made her way over to him.

"Yeah good to see you too-" Gray managed to pull himself out- standing on top of a pile of rubble and looking around at the wreckage- a small curse escaping his lips as Erza finally made it over to him.

"Any sign of the others?" The redhead demanded.

Gray looked around and shook his head- not seeing any movement in the wreckage around them, "Nothing- wait-" The Ice Mage watched as some debris was pushed to the side-revealing Horologium. "I can see Lucy."

"I made it just in time." Horologium said, " _and what about Natsu?_ The lady asks worryingly-" He said- since nobody could hear Lucy on the inside, " _Why am I Naked!_ The lady squeals in embarrassment. And as for your clothes it was an emergency so I didn't have any time to grab those- there is a change of clothes inside for you."

The other two Mages only stood by- not even bothering to try and decode who was saying what as Horologium spoke.

Not too long after Lucy stepped out wearing the blue and yellow Celestial outfit that she wore back when they had fought the Oracion Seis. "What about Natsu?" She yelled as she rushed up to Gray and Erza- who were already searching through the rubble.

Erza peeked over, "No sign of him yet- keep an eye out for the other passengers too-"

Lucy nodded and ran over to an area that the other two Mages hadn't searched yet, "Natsu! Wendy! Happy, Carla!" She called out as she dug through the rubble.

"I was such a fool- leaving them alone." Erza cursed herself, "Neither Natsu or Wendy would be able to move with their motion sickness- and I'm not sure Happy or Carla would be able to move fast enough- I'm such a fool!" She continued cursing as she dug through the rubble- over to her right she could hear Gray calling out for the Dragon Slayers.

"Oi! Flamebrain! Answer me dammit!" He yelled and looked around- calling back to Erza, "Looks like others are starting to pull themselves out of the rubble!" He called- watching as the other passengers started to show up.

Erza rushed over, "Any sign of Natsu?"

Gray peeked over- looking for any pink hair, "None yet."

"We will keep looking- Wendy, Happy and Carla were with him- I doubt he'd let anything happen to them- despite his condition." Scarlet said and Gray nodded- fully agreeing with her- Natsu was that kind of person. He looked over- seeing Lucy help pull some other passengers out of the rubble.

Gray nodded and looked around at the survivors that were pulling themselves out of the rubble- then it hit him.

 _The train was thrown- so how are there so many survivors?_ Mages we're one thing- they seemed to be able to put up with ten times the amount of damage than a normal person. (Thinking back to all the fights where someone had received an injury that would kill most people- which happened a lot.) But the majority of the people on the train were normal townsfolk- they should've been killed on impact.

 _If they survived then Flamebrain's still gotta be alive- He's the last person that would let something like this get to him._ "Oi! Flamebrain!" He yelled once more- and Erza returned to where she was searching.

An hour passed- they were able to find some more passengers- but still no sign of their destructive Dragon Slayer. Gray scowled and looked around- _we were in the fourth cart- which should be around here._ He looked around at the twisted and ripped to shred rubble that laid around them. "Dammit- how much debris can come from one train? Oi! Natsu! Answer me dammit!" He yelled at the top of his lungs and made his way to what was left of the train- his gut twisting as he saw the amount of damage the cart was in, "Natsu!"

"Somebody help!"

Gray froze as he heard the voice come from the cart- it wasn't Natsu, but he knew that voice, "Happy is that you!" He yelled as he rushed forward- trying to get a look inside- but the mutilated and twisted remains of the fourth cart made it impossible to do so.

"Gray! It's me!" Happy's voice yelled again, "There's something wrong with Natsu! He's not moving!"

Gray turned, "Erza! Lucy! Over here! I found them!" He yelled as loud as he could then turned back to the cart- not even waiting for a response, "Happy hold on- we're coming! How are the others?"

"We're fine!" Carla yelled.

"Natsu-san shielded us!" Wendy's small voice called out- the news didn't surprise the Ice Mage one bit. "He's unconscious right now- but I can see blood from where I'm at!"

"Wendy can you heal Natsu?"

"Not from where I'm at!"

By then Erza was next to the Ice Mage and they were both practically ripping the train apart to get to them- Lucy ran up- tugging on one of her keys, and quickly summoned Taurus.

"What can I dooo for yooou miss Loosey!" The giant cow in a speedo asked- his eyes turning into hearts at the sight of the Celestial Mage.

"Natsu and the others are trapped inside- we need to get to them quickly! Natsu's injured!" Lucy ordered as she helped pull some of the debris to the side. Taurus quickly stepped in and helped with some of the bigger stuff- since it was easy for him because of his giant size.

The four of them worked together as fast as they could until they pulled some debris aside and was able to see some of Natsu's beaten and bloody pale skin.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled- Erza pulling more debris to the side as Lucy felt his now exposed wrist for a pulse- sighing in relief when she felt one, it was weak- but still existent. "Hold on Natsu- we're gonna get you out of here." She whispered- almost crying in relief when they managed to pull more rubble away- exposing his pink hair.

"Happy, Wendy, Carla- where are you?" Erza demanded.

"We're under Natsu!" Carla called back as Taurus threw a larger piece of debris to the side- almost completely freeing Natsu from the rubbles clutches. Lucy looked and could see that Natsu's other arm was clutching something close to his chest- throwing himself on top of them as a shield, probably after shielding them from the original impact.

"Move that one on his leg and we got him." Erza ordered and Gray quickly complied- right after grabbing Natsu, "Careful."

Gray nodded as he lifted the limp Natsu- carefully lifting him up and out of the rubble- then laying him down on the ground and on his back. Immediately Erza and Lucy moved to help pull the other three out of the rubble as Gray worked to try and wake up the Dragon Slayer.

As Carla had said the other three were fine- a few cuts and nasty bruises- Happy definitely had a prominent bump on his head and Wendy had a decent gash on the back of her shoulder- other than that they were unharmed.

Lucy quickly rushed over to where Gray was attempting to wake Natsu, "Natsu!" She yelled and slid up next to him- freezing when she saw how pale he was, "Not again-" She mumbled and gently brushed back his bangs, that action normally brought on some reaction from the Dragon Slayer- but he didn't even twitch.

"Natsu?" Happy whimpered as he took a step forward.

Erza looked over at Gray, "Has he moved?" She asked and the Ice Devil Slayer shook his head. The redhead quickly looked over at Happy and Carla- who stepped forward to help calm down the blue Exceed. "Can you two fly?"

"Aye." Happy sniffled and Carla nodded.

"We're a little stiff- but we can if need be-"

"We need you to back to the guild- it's about an hour from here." Erza said, "Natsu needs help." The redhead said looking over at the pinkette worryingly.

Carla turned to Happy- who nodded as he wiped his eyes, then the white Exceed turned back to the requip mage, "We'll be there in half the time." Then she turned back to Happy, "Let's get going- we don't have a second to wait."

"Aye sir!" And the two Exceed- running on adrenaline ignoring their wounds took off towards the guild hall.

"Are you sure about that?" Lucy asked- watching the two Exceeds take off, "They were buried in the rubble not too long ago-"

"If Natsu has any chance he needs help now." Erza said as she knelt down next to the said Dragon Slayer- it surprised her for a moment that Carla had compiled into going with Happy- but at the same time she knew why she did.

Happy was moments away from having a break down-

She looked over at the unconscious Fire Mage, and she could understand that- the redhead herself was also panicking on the inside. _I have to keep it together- for the others, for Natsu._ The Requip Mage looked over at the Sky Dragon Slayer, "How's your magic amount?"

Wendy looked over at Natsu, "I won't be able to do much-" The young Dragon Slayer started to say.

"It's alright- at this point anything will help." The redhead told the small girl. Wendy looked over at Natsu- and quickly nodded before moving over to kneel down next to the pinkette and began to heal him- frowning when she noticed just how injured the Fire Dragon Slayer was. _This is because he protected me-_ "Hold on Natsu-san, you're going to be alright." She mumbled as she pushed a little more magic into his healing.

...FT...

"You have my thanks." The man in the black cloak said- peeking back at the man behind him. The man sat on a rock- breathing heavily. "How are you doing?"

The second man laughed as he lit another smoke, "What's this? Y-you worried about me assassin?" The smoker gave another exhausted laugh. "I'm fine you moron."

The man in the black cloak nodded before looking back at the scene below them- eyeing the destruction of the train, "Mind if I ask what you did?"

The smoker chuckled on more, "I transferred the damage to a different area- I'm pretty sure one of the mountains nearby has been rearranged- but-" The man chuckled once more before looking at the first man, "Some of the people on the train were still killed- I couldn't transfer all the damage. Also, your kid took a lot of damage."

The man in the black cloak peeked back.

"The kid should be alright though-" The smoker said then looked out at the horizon. "They should be getting here soon."

The first man nodded then looked back- raising an eyebrow at a group of people approached the site. The smoker sat up next to him, "Damn those people are fast." He remarked, "Honestly I'm starting to wonder whether they just live in the ground all over the country just waiting for trouble to happen." The smoker said with an exhausted chuckle.

"Wouldn't surprise me." The first man mumbled, watching as the new group approached the train wreck. He scowled then stepped back- making sure that he was well out of view, then he looked back at the smoker. "We should get out of here- can you walk?"

...FT...

The two Exceeds flew as fast as their sore bodies could possibly take them- and pushing themselves even more- Carla's wings were burning, but kept quiet as she continued to push herself at full speed, still being behind Happy.

The land blurred underneath them and the two Exceed hardly even noticed the smoke from the train wreck vanishing from their view, or that the field had turned into a forest- after that, the forest turned into a town- neither Exceed reacting until they were practically on top of it.

The two Exceeds flew over the city- ignoring the people below them and focusing ahead as the Guild hall came into view, and the two of them immediately picked up their pace for one final sprint.

Without missing a beat, the two Exceeds dove down- quickly gliding down and through the doors, pushing the doors open and flying inside- immediately attracting the guild's attention.

"Happy!" Macao quickly stood up, rushing over, "Where are Natsu and the others?"

Carla had to be the one to answer the older Fire Mage because Happy couldn't get a coherent word out. "They are back at the crash site, Natsu is badly injured- we need to get help to him immediately." She explained calmly.

"The Master took a few teams over with him as soon as he heard of the crash- he should be there any time now." Wakuba spoke as the smoker rushed up.

"Really?" Happy asked hopefully- Macao nodded down to the blue Exceed and said cat immediately burst into tears.

The Guild was silent, letting the two of them gain their composure- Macao reaching out to gently pet the panicking Exceed to calm him- which seemed to do the trick, after a few minutes passed, Happy's sobbing turned into hiccupping and Macao spoke.

"You two stay here and rest- I doubt you guys could make the trip back either way." The older Fire Mage pointed out and the two Exceeds took a look at their exhausted bodies- he was right, they probably wouldn't be able to make it out of the city.

Happy looked back up at Macao, "What about Natsu?" The blue Exceed hiccupped.

Macao looked down at the flying blue cat. "Natsu is going to be alright- they'll get him home."

...FT...

Wendy sighed as she sat back after healing the eighth person in a row- she peeked back at Natsu, she had healed everything that she could heal- despite that he hadn't moved yet, leaving the rest of the team with their guts churning in worry.

"How are you holding up Wendy?" Erza asked the small bluenette.

Wendy peeked over, "I'll be alright-" She stopped- seeing a group of people walking towards the train crash site. "Erza-san." Wendy called to the redhead requip mage.

Lucy looked up from where she was sitting next to Natsu- gently brushing his bangs back as Gray stood up, "What is it?" She asked- stopping what she was doing- but keeping her hand in Natsu's hair.

"The Magic Council." Gray scowled- seeing the Council making their way towards them. He knew that they were here because of the train wreck- but he also knew that they were going to try and pin the blame on the Fairy Tail mages for this one.

Erza stepped forward, "I will handle this one- you two keep an eye on Natsu." The Fairy Queen ordered and the other two Mages nodded silently as the redhead walked forward- confronting one of the Rune Knights of the Magic Council.

"What happened here?" One of the Rune Knights demanded of the Requip Mage.

Erza stopped where she was, "We were heading back from a recent job when the train was ambushed by a Dark Guild, we tried to fight them off however there were too many of them and by the time we had made any real headway they had derailed the train."

The Rune Knight spoke, "Did you see any sign of what Dark Guild it was?"

"No sir- I never got a good look at their guild marks."

"Do you have any idea on where they went?"

"No sir." Erza looked back over at the wreckage, "I lost consciousness on impact- I woke up maybe about an hour or two ago, when I did the Mages were already gone." The requip mage answered once more- frustrated by her own inability to answer these questions.

"Erza!"

Erza looked over as a magic mobile sped up- stopping just short of the crash with a second one right behind it and the Fairy Tail Mages got out- led by Master Makarov with the Thunder Legion behind him- followed by the Strauss siblings. Mira (who had been the one to call out earlier) rushed forward, "Erza, are you okay?" The Take Over Mage asked as she approached.

"I am fine- Natsu needs medical attention." Erza said.

The Fairy Tail Guild Master approached, "Mira- go help Lucy and Gray attend to Natsu, Erza help the others find more passengers on the train." Makarov ordered as he approached, stopping next to Erza- who nodded down at the old man before rushing off.

"Right!" Mira turned away and rushed over to where Lucy and Gray were.

"Mira!" Lucy exclaimed as the white-haired Mage knelt down- immediately checking on Natsu's breathing.

"I'm glad to see that you two are alright, where's Happy and Carla?"

Gray frowned, "We sent them to go get help from the guild." The Ice Mage answered, "Did you not see them?"

"We left as soon as we heard about the crash- we must've just missed each other." Mira said then looked at Natsu, "Has he woken up yet?"

"Not yet." Gray said looking back at the Fire Mage, "Wendy healed him as best as she could- but he still hasn't budged."

"I'm not feeling anything broken thankfully." Mira said looking up as the Master walked over to the three of them.

"How is Natsu?" The old man asked- keeping his voice calm, despite his gut churning in worry.

"He's unconscious- Wendy healed him- but he still needs some more medical care." The bartender explained and the Master nodded.

"We will get Porlyusica to look at him when we return to the guild."

"And when will that be?" Gray asked- peeking back over at the Rune Knights.

"I have spoken with the Rune Knights- they have decided to take over cleaning up this scene and looking for survivors- we have been cleared to head back to the guild and they will contact us at the guild if they have any more questions about what happened here." Makarov explained, and Gray nodded- quickly moving so he could lift up Natsu to get him to the car. Makarov looked around at the site.

 _Wreckage like this normally doesn't leave survivors- in fact- for a train that has been thrown fifty feet it's in remarkable shape- still barely recognizable, but there have been few deaths._ He looked back over at his children as they carefully moved their pink haired Dragon Slayer to the vehicle. _How is this possible?_

...FT...

The Guild was silent as the doors open and the group of Mages rushed in- Laxus carrying a still limp Natsu. Macao stood up, able to see the familiar pink hair of their hyper active- destructive Dragon Slayer as they rushed him upstairs. Makarov looked around, "Is Porlyusica here yet?" the Guild Master demanded.

"I'm here."

...FT...

Porlyusica frowned while looking over the Dragon Slayer, "You said he was in a train crash?" The medic asked, Makarov nodded.

"According to the others he was trapped in the wreckage- he used his own body as a shield." The Master explained and Porlyusica gave another confused frown, "Something the matter?"

"For someone who went through what you explained there's not enough damage to his body." The medic said.

Makarov frowned, "Wendy did heal him as best as she could- she is getting better at healing with each passing day-"

"I am well aware he was healed you old fool- I can still tell what parts have been healed. However, even with all those original wounds he still never had the wounds that he should have."

Makarov frowned, "Do you think something protected him?"

"There's no other way." The medic said as she gave the Fire Mage some medicine. "Dragon Slayer bodies are tougher than most- but not that tough." She said then looked down at the old man, "It wouldn't be the first time someone protected him from a near death situation."

Makarov frowned, "That man from the games." He mumbled, thinking back on the man with the black cloak. He had been working with whoever was behind whoever was responsible for the games- but he didn't seem to want to hurt Natsu. Then he looked back up at the medic, "If it was him then there's a chance that he is injured- unless he was able to put up a powerful enough shield-"

"But then all the damage should've been blocked. And it's not just this boy- they all are in remarkable shape- the site as well, or so you've told me." The medic said, "If it was that man he didn't put up a shield-" Makarov looked over at the unconscious Natsu, "The boy should be awake in a few days." The medic said, "When he does awaken have somebody come and get me- and don't let him out of the bed until I give the all clear."

Makarov nodded, following the medic out, "Thank you for your help once again-"

"You can thank me once your brat drags himself out of whatever the enemy has planned for him." The Medic snapped. Makarov sighed and nodded. He peeked back at Natsu once more- _even if that man is an enemy- if he was the one that saved Natsu, he has my thanks._ He turned away- closing the door behind him, _although I do wonder how?_

...FT...

Makarov sighed before taking another drink- he was already on his second one. The Guild Master looked around the Guild Hall- oddly quiet without the destructive Dragon Slayer trying to pick fights with everyone.

It only seemed like a few days before that they had just got the Fire Mage back up on his feet- finally had fully recovered from the countless wounds that he had received during the Games. The old man sighed once more.

 _All we can do is hope that Natsu is able to heal quickly from this one._ The old man frowned- it was almost like someone was trying to keep the Dragon Slayer off his feet.

The Guild Master was so deep in his own thoughts that he never noticed as the Lightning Dragon Slayer approached. "Gramps."

The Guild Master peeked over as the tall Dragon Slayer approached, "Yes Laxus?"

"We're going to be heading out, we have a request in a small town up nearby Mount Hakubei." the S-Class Mage spoke as he held up the flyer, which sure enough was asking for Laxus.

 _Mira must've given it to him._ The Master figured, "Very well, but be careful- we still don't know if the train crash was an attack on Natsu, the Guild, of Fiore in general."

Laxus nodded before peeking up at the infirmary door, "Speaking of Natsu- how is he doing?"

Makarov took another drink before finally speaking, "He's resting, according to Porlyusica he will wake up sometime in the next couple of days."

Laxus nodded then looked over as The Master spoke once more, "Laxus, I'm only allowing you to go to this request because you are an S-Class Mage." The old man said, "The Magic Council seems to believe that this was an attack against Fiore, but I have my doubts."

Laxus nodded once more- understanding what the Guild Master was trying to imply. "Natsu being involved in a random attack against Fiore just after he recovered to unbelievable for you?" the older Dragon Slayer asked, watching as the Master's frown deepened. "Yeah I thought so- do you think it's the same guys from the Games?"

"Maybe, or somebody who was in the Games..."

Laxus frowned, "Shantire supposedly put out a reward for whoever killed Natsu... The games are over but do you think that reward is still out there?"

"Most likely." Makarov answered, "If Shantire is still alive I have no doubt that it is..."

"Pretty extreme to take out a whole train for one person." Laxus frowned.

"A Dark Guild wouldn't stop for a reason like that." Makarov spoke as he took another drink, "We're just lucky that there were few casualties."

"I've been wondering about that, the train was thrown, but all and all- everyone and everything was in remarkably good shape."

Makarov nodded, "I believe that it may have been the cloaked man from the Games... But there is a possibility that he may be injured,"

 _We'll be passing by the crash site on our way to our job-_ the lightning Dragon Slayer thought and resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"You could've just asked me." Laxus sighed, "We'll search the area for him and bring him back here if we find him."

Makarov nodded and Laxus turned away. The Guild Master opened his mouth to speak but his grandson beat him to it, peeking back with a smirk.

"I'll be careful."

...FT...

Team Natsu sat in the infirmary, looking over their sleeping Dragon Slayer. Gray peeked over at the pinkette, frowning quietly as he thought over the day's event. It only seemed like minutes ago that it was a normal day for the team- Then the day became disastrous, fast.

"Dammit." Gray mumbled.

Erza peeked over, "Porlyusica told the Master that Natsu just needs to rest for a few days." the redhead stated, "He'll be alright."

"Yeah, but how?" Gray snapped, "I don't even know what the hell even happened, it came out of freaking nowhere."

"We're all just as surprised as you are." Erza spoke calmly, "We all survived and for now, that's what counts." Gray peeked over at the requip mage as she continued, "I'm sure that the Master is looking into what happened. We'll find whoever did this and make them pay for this."

Gray silently nodded and looked back over to the sleeping Fire Mage, who remained still- besides the soft movement of his chest as Lucy sat in the chair next to the bed, softly pushing his bangs out of his face.

Wendy had already fallen asleep in another bed in the infirmary- curling up next with Carla and Happy. Gray noticed this and let out a small smirk. "I guess it's time to crash." the Ice Mage said and leaned back- falling asleep not even a moment after, and without giving the Ice Mage a chance to realize that he somehow managed to strip down to nothing but his boxers.

Erza smiled softly as she leaned back in her own chair, peeking over at Lucy- who had managed to fall asleep as fast as Gray.

Then she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

...FT...

Laxus stared in shock at the scene that was ahead of him. Next to him the busty light brunette stepped up, "What's the matter Laxus?" She asked the large blonde Lightning Dragon Slayer- then froze herself when she saw what he was looking at.

"What in the world happened here?" Freed- the long green haired Script Mage spoke out loud as he spotted the scene, stepping forward and kicking some dust up into the air.

"That's a lot of damage!" Bickslow shouted as he craned his neck to see the full view of the place with a small whistle playing on his lips- behind him his _"Babies"_ mirroring him as they flew around him.

"Looks like there was some kind of a fight." Evergreen said as she looked around, taking out her fan to try and keep the dust away from her face. "A very big one." he stated.

The side of the mountain had been ripped to shreds- trees had been thrown everywhere, the ground was burnt as if something had exploded, leaving nothing but a crater and it almost looked like something had clawed it open only to combust inside. Dust and smoke stifled the air around the mages and they all knew that if anybody had been in the area at the time there would be no chance of survival for them.

Freed walked forward- kneeling down and looking at and unsure what to make of one of the gashes in the earth that looked like someone had taken a giant claw to it. He frowned and stood up looking around at the ashened trees- the trees that somehow managed to at least keep their trunks rotted in the ground.

"I doubt it- whatever happened here was sudden." The Script Mage said- pointing at a dead animal nearby, then pointed at several others that were in the vicinity, and no sign that they had even tried to flee. "Sudden enough that not even the animals could escape."

"Then what happened?" Evergreen asked, putting a hand on her hip as she spoke- taking in the mess around them once more. "An entire mountain doesn't rip itself to shreds like this on its own-"

"This might help a bit.." Bickslow called out, startling the others- who hadn't even noticed that he had moved away from the rest of the group. He was kneeling down looking at something as he beckoned them over.

"This might help! This might help!" his babies shouted after him and flew around him.

The rest of the Thunder Tribe walked up behind Bickslow and Laxus eyes widened in noticeable shock as Bickslow pulled a metal door out of the ground-

A train compartment door.

"How the hell did that get here?" Evergreen demanded, watching as Bickslow wiped the dirt off the part of the door- the handle easily giving away what it was. "Isn't that from the train that Natsu's team was on?"

"It is." Freed looked around, and noticing some other metal pieces round them and his jaw dropped. _Impossible- this far away?_ "All of this is from the crash- but how?"

Laxus was silent for a moment. _Was this the cloaked man? Was this how most the passengers were barely scathed?_ The Lightning Dragon Slayer spoke after a moment.

"We'll have to let gramps know." Laxus said and looked around frowning- he couldn't tell from where- _but they were definitely being watched. Is it whoever created this?_ He scowled and started walking. "We need to move quickly."

The three other Mages looked over at Laxus quickly nodded and stood up- following their leader, not noticing the man crouching down on the hill above them, almost seemingly bored, but watching the Fairy Tail Mage team- a small grin crossing his face- despite it being hidden from view-

And a moment later he was gone.

...FT...

 _It was a small house- but it was plenty. Outside it was a beautiful sunny day, the adults were also outside- talking._

 _Not that the toddler could understand what they were saying._

 _The man looked over at the toddler- grinning from ear to ear when the child tried to make his way over to them- only to stumble and fall._

 _The man laughed and walked over to the child- helping him up and patting his head as he spoke over to the woman words that the child couldn't make out despite being right next to him- in fact he couldn't even hear them at all. Not just them- everything was silent._

 _The child looked up at the man's face-_

 _It was a beautiful sunny day- but the man's face was nothing but shadows- as was the woman's. Despite that the child knew when the man laughed or when the woman spoke- he knew when they were looking at each other or when they were looking at him. He knew when then woman smiled softly at both of the child's and the man's laughs._

 _He just couldn't see their faces or hear their voices._

 _However, he could still feel the man's hand on his head- ruffling his soft pink hair._

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **...FT...**

 **And there's chapter two!**

 **Feel free to review!**

 **No Flames Plz!**

' **Til next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three already huh...**

 **Well here goes!**

 **Thanks for the reviews from-**

 **-Attackoneverything**

 **-Enjali**

 **-Snowflake**

 **-Nashi**

 **-Deboo**

 **-Adrien Agreste**

 **-Person**

 **Just to let you all know- This story will be average one chapter a month (I will try to post more than one as I can).**

 **This is mainly because I am a full-time college student and juggling part time work at the same exact time. During all this I am also currently working on my second full length 300-page chapter book of my own.**

 **I have most of this information already on my profile but I figure that I should place it here as well.**

 **I am sorry for any frustration for the wait time in between chapters but this is what I can manage in my schedule.**

 **Thank you for your patience.**

 **-Dragneel777**

 **I'm glad you all are enjoying the book so far! I will try to post as fast as I can.**

 **Anyways-**

 **Feel free to review**

 **But no Flames plz!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **I do not own Fairy Tail- all rights go to Hiro Mashima!**

 **...FT...**

 _It was a small house- but it was plenty. Outside it was a beautiful sunny day, the adults were also outside- talking._

 _Not that the toddler could understand what they were saying._

 _The man looked over at the toddler- grinning from ear to ear when the child tried to make his way over to them- only to stumble and fall._

 _The man laughed and walked over to the child- helping him up and patting his head as he spoke over to the woman words that the child couldn't make out despite being right next to him- in fact he couldn't even hear them at all. Not just them- everything was silent._

 _The child looked up at the man's face-_

 _It was a beautiful sunny day- but the man's face was nothing but shadows- as was the woman's. Despite that the child knew when the man laughed or when the woman spoke- he knew when they were looking at each other or when they were looking at him. He knew when then woman smiled softly at both of the child's and the man's laughs._

 _He just couldn't see their faces or hear their voices._

 _However, he could still feel the man's hand on his head- ruffling his soft pink hair._

 _...FT..._

The first thing Natsu noticed was a dull pain all over his body as he started to come to, "Dammit- again?" He mumbled as he cracked his eyes open- the light blinding him for a moment, and sighing in annoyance when he recognized the infirmary. "Yup-" He scowled as rested his head against the pillow.

"You up Flamebrain?"

Natsu scowl deepened as he looked over at Gray- who was standing next to the bed. _Son of a- how didn't I notice Ice Princess there earlier?_ "What happened?" He asked- almost cursing to himself as soon as he spoke.

Gray frowned, as he moved to sit down in the chair next to his bed. "How much do you remember?"

"Uh-" Natsu hesitated and looked at the far wall trying to put the pieces together- but only ended up making his head throb even more, "It's all hazy- not much really, bits and pieces." Natsu said with a frown and looked around, "How long have I been out?"

"A few days." Gray said and looked over at the door, standing up as he looked back at the Fire Mage. "Alright you stay in bed- I need to go get gramps I promised I would get him as soon as you woke up." The Ice Mage said as he headed over to the door, before looking back at Natsu, pointing at him. "And I mean it- stay laying down, don't get up." He ordered.

"I get it!" Natsu snapped- his teeth turning into fangs as he yelled at the Ice Mage as the door closed. "Stupid Ice Prick." He mumbled then huffed and looked away- thinking with a frown on his face, attempting to remember what had happened.

 _We were heading back from our job, right?_ The Dragon Slayer's stomach gave a little twist at the thought of the train, telling him that the memory of being on the train was real.

After that though was nothing but bits and images that made no sense. Thought swirled in his mind to a point that he didn't even hear the infirmary door open and Master Makarov step into the room. "I see you're finally awake?" The old man spoke- causing the Fire Mage to jump, a soft hiss coming from the pinkette as his body flared with pain.

Makarov quietly walked forward and sat in the chair next to the Dragon Slayers bed where Gray had been sitting a moment before and the Fire Mage looked over at the Master- seeing the worried look in the Guild Master's eyes. "How are you feeling my boy?" He asked- noticing the wince not even a moment ago.

"Sore." Natsu admitted- then he looked around, "And confused- what happened?"

"How much do you remember boy?" Makarov asked, frowning as the Fire Mage hesitated- seemingly thinking it over to himself.

Finally, Natsu shook his head with an annoyed sigh, "Not much- it's all a big mess- I can't make any sense out of it." The Fire Mage told the Guild Master- obviously annoyed with the fact that he couldn't recall anything.

Makarov nodded- despite the lack of injuries that the Fire Mage should've had he was still severely injured, it wasn't all that surprising that he wouldn't remember the incident. "Although-" The older man raised an eyebrow, waiting for the Dragon Slayer to continue. Natsu peeked out the window, "I think I remember seeing someone."

"Do you by any chance remember this person's face?" Makarov asked- and was once again not surprised as Natsu let out another sigh and shook his head.

"I'm not too sure if I saw his face in the first place."

Makarov nodded and stood up, "The Magic Council will be here soon to ask you questions about what happened, tell them what you just told me now." The Master ordered and Natsu nodded. "You'll also be on bedrest for the rest of today-" The Master gave an amused smirk as the Fire Mage let out an annoyed groan, laying back down with an annoyed huff. Then he became serious, "It's a miracle that you weren't injured more than you were- we need to be careful to make sure that you're fully healed." The Master said, "You'll also be on light duty for about a week."

Natsu frowned, he had just got off "light duty" and now this happened- _man this world hates me._ He thought with a scowl.

"Get some rest- Mira will be up later with some food." Makarov said, knowing full well that their destructive Dragon Slayer was probably starved- Natsu could admit that he was hungry, which was probably a good thing. "Porlyusica will be by later on as well."

Natsu nodded and closed his eyes- hearing the door close. He took slow breaths- trying to focus on the shadow of a face- but got nothing but a cruel smile. "Dammit." Natsu mumbled and rolled over a little before wincing and rolled right back. The Fire Mage frowned as he heard footsteps coming up to the infirmary, _that must be the Magic Council._

A moment later the door opened and Natsu involuntarily shivered as he broke out into a sweat- recognizing the Rune Knights uniform, remembering the last time...

As soon as the Rune Knight saw Natsu he began the interrogation, or what at least felt like it one from the seemingly endless series of questions- most of them, Natsu could not answer.

Finally, after what seemed like ages the Rune Knight- frustrated- but didn't seem to have more questions for the Dragon Slayer, stood up. "Very well, we will be back if we have any more questions for you." he said then left the room, closing the door behind him and Natsu sighed, his little bit of energy he had was gone. The Fire Mage shifted to get more comfortable, closing his eyes-

And the next thing he knew he was hearing mumbled voices around him- and someone annoyingly poking at parts of his body- when the finger brushed over a bruise Natsu let out a small hiss. "So, you're awake." Porlyusica's recognizable voice spoke. It wasn't a question- more of a statement.

 _Damn, busted._ Natsu let out a small groan and forced his eyes open- blinking at the sudden lights. "How are you feeling?"

Natsu blinked and looked over at the medic, "Tired."

"That's to be expected, Makarov told me that you don't remember the event, is this true?"

"I only remember bits and pieces of it." Natsu answered looking around the room then back to the medic, "Is that normal?" He asked.

Porlyusica frowned then gave a small nod a moment after, "That's not all that surprising either, you do have a concussion." The older woman stated.

 _That explains the headache..._ Natsu thought with a frown. Then he looked over at the medic, "How long until I can move around this time?"

"Not until tomorrow, after that I don't want you on strenuous jobs for the next week. Got it, you're on light duty..."

Natsu groaned as he could practically hear the unspoken word-

 _Again._

"Dammit." he muttered as he glared out the window.

"You're lucky, something like that should've killed you." The medic said as she finished taking his vitals.

Makarov looked over at Porlyusica from where he stood. "There's a chance that Natsu saw one of the attackers, is their anyway to jog his memory about it?"

"Not in his current condition. The most common way for a person to remember is if they are in a similar situation-"

"You are not putting me on a train and having it crash." Natsu snapped.

Porlyusica quickly ignored him, "Like if somebody says something that was said during the event or he happens to run into someone that looks like somebody he met during the event." Then she looked over at Natsu, "and yes, putting you in another train crash could work... If you survive." she said, "But it's more likely that it will just make our situation worse."

"I wasn't even going to try it!" Natsu snapped.

"For now, though I wouldn't suggest trying to jog his memory, if it's meant to come back it will."

Makarov nodded

"As for Injuries, he only has minor bruising and lacerations along with a concussion. But he still needs to be in bed for the rest of the day." The medic glared over at Natsu, "Try getting out of that bed and we might just try that memory recovery idea you had."

Natsu's face paled a little at that idea as the medic left- not sure which he was more worried about- the motion sickness or the train crash itself.

Needless to say- he was good at staying in bed for that day.

...FT...

Gray peeked his head inside the infirmary- seeing the pink hair poking out from under the blankets. He watched silently for a moment then stepped in with a small sigh.

The Ice Mage quietly closed the door then walked up to the bed- stopping a couple of feet away with his hand in his pockets, "You trying to sleep?" The Devil Slayer asked- seeing the pinkette twitch.

The Fire Mage was silent for a moment- then he spoke. "Not really- I'm not all that tired." The Fire Mage mumbled as he rolled over- looking over at Gray. "Gramps send you?" He asked his voice relatively clear.

Gray smirked, "What you're surprised that I came by? I came in on my own Flamebrain." He spoke as he sat down, shifting so he could get comfortable before sitting back. "You may be a pain in the ass- but you're no good dead." He said then looked over and Natsu remained quiet, "How are you feeling?"

Natsu raised an eyebrow, hearing the worried tone that the Ice Mage was trying to hide in his voice. "What? You're worried? Did you hit your head?"

"Just answer me you pyro." Gray snapped.

"I'm fine." Natsu snapped back and looked away, "You were in here when I woke up remember?" The Fire Mage snickered and looked away, "How are the others?" He asked- his voice becoming quiet.

"They're fine. Worried about you they'll probably be up-"

Before Gray could finish the door was thrown open, startling the two mages as the requip mage entered. "I heard Natsu's awake?" the redheaded Fairy Queen demanded as she rushed into the infirmary- stopping only for a moment when she saw Natsu look over at her before she rushed over to the side of the bed- in the doorway Lucy, Wendy and the Exceeds quietly entered and shut the door behind them before walking up to the bed as well- Lucy (who was holding Happy) sitting down in a second chair next to the bed.

"How are you feeling?" The Blonde-Haired Mage asked worryingly.

Natsu looked over and gave his infamous- ear to ear grin, "Great! Porlyusica said that I should be out of here tomorrow-" Then he scowled and looked away, "But I'm gonna be on light duty for a while."

Lucy winced a little at that- he had just got off, and she clearly remembered how it was torturing the Fire Mage not to go on any fast-paced fighting requests. "How long this time?" The Celestial Mage asked.

"A week."

Gray sat back, "That's it?" The Ice Mage spoke the rest of their confusion out loud. "I expected it to be a lot longer."

"I'm not lying if that's what you're asking." Natsu snapped then looked over at the wall- "I don't really get it myself. According to the old hag I only have a few cuts and bruises and a cushion-"

"A what?" Gray asked.

"Natsu frowned, "Apparently it's the reason why I can't remember the crash clearly-"

"A concussion." Lucy clarified and Gray nodded- not all that surprised that the Fire Mage got his wording mixed up. Then she looked over at Natsu, "Are you tired- we can leave and let you sleep some more-"

Natsu shook his head, "Nah- I'm fine. Honestly, I've been sleeping all day so I'm not all that tired." The pinkette quickly continued before Erza could argue- which was obvious that she was going to by the twitch in her eyes.

The redhead watched the Fire Mage for a moment before nodded, "Alright five more minutes then you get some more rest- got it?"

Natsu quickly nodded- not daring to deny the redhead what she wanted- no demanded, and Erza sat back- seemingly pleased.

After a moment Natsu peeked over at Lucy, "Say, isn't your rent due soon?"

The Celestial Mage's face paled at the thought of her deadline, "You're right it's due in a week!" Then she looked down at Natsu, "The same day that you get off light duty."

"It'll be fine." Erza spoke, "There are plenty of slow paced jobs in the area, we can do those before you rent is due and Natsu will still be able to participate." the redhead explained calmly, "I'll ask the master if we can take one that is nearby tomorrow once Porlyusica says that you're good to go."

Natsu nodded and Gray looked over at Erza, "Do you really think Gramps will go for that?"

"If it's a town nearby he might." Erza said and looked over at Natsu- who was beginning to nod off.

Gray smirked, "Oi- not tired Flamebrain?"

"Shut up- I wasn't tired before." Natsu growled and leaned back into the pillow.

"We'll let you get some sleep." Erza said and stood up, "I'll go check if it's alright with the Master." she said as she left.

Gray sighed and stood up, "I should get going you get some sleep Flamebrain." The Ice Mage said mumbling something about that he could hear the guild filling up with water again.

Lucy chuckled then looked back at Natsu, "Are you sure that you're gonna be alright?" The Celestial Mage asked.

Natsu sleepily nodded, "Yeah I'll be fine- just a few bumps and bruises, nothing I can't handle." The Fire Mage encouraged. "I'll be back up on my feet in no time."

Lucy smiled softly and nodded, "Right." she said and stood up, "You get some sleep- I'll be back to check on you in a bit."

"Goodnight Natsu-san." Wendy said quietly and Natsu gave a tired smile.

Lucy set Happy down on the bed and the Exceed nodded- walking up and curling next to the exhausted Dragon Slayer's head- being careful not to touch him. Natsu gently patted his friend- hearing the door close and Lucy, Wendy, and Carla left the room.

"Don't worry bud- I'm gonna be alright." The Fire Mage told his best friend. He waited quietly and after a moment he felt the small movement of his friend nodding and Natsu smiled before shifting and closing his eyes- slipping off to sleep in seconds.

...FT...

The man in the white robes looked back over his shoulder from his seat at the table as the door opened- letting some of the pouring rain inside as the two men stumbled inside. "Ah- there you two are..." The man spoke, "I was wondering if you had gotten lost."

"God damn you're heavy!" The man in the black cloak snapped.

"It's not my fault that I'm bigger than you!" the man in the black cloak snapped back as he tossed him into another chair at the table before sitting down at his own seat just as a larger man walked into the room- followed by a skinny man and just behind him a woman.

Everybody took a seat at the table and immediately the skinny man looked over at the cloaked man, "You're soaked." The man said looking at the two of them, "You both are."

"Rain will do that." The smoker said as he tried to light another smoke- sulking when he couldn't get a flame started. Then he turned, "Yo Isida- can I get a light?" The smoker asked and a moment later the cigarette burst into flames- nearly burning his hand, "Ack! I meant for my cic- not for me!" He scowled as he checked his hand to see if there were any burns.

The cloaked man chuckled and sat back before looking at the man in the white robes- as if waiting for him to speak.

The blonde man in the white robes looked around, "So it looks like all of us are here." He said as the rest of them took their seats. Then he looked over at the two smoked men, "I assume you two were involved in the train crash recently?"

The smoker looked over at the cloak man silently before looking back at the blonde, "Well- duh." The man spoke then sat back as the blonde man set a newspaper on the table and the man frowned, "What's that for?"

"A Dark Guild has claimed responsibility for the attack." The blonde man spoke as he pushed the newspaper across the table towards the two soaked men- the smoker frowned as he picked up the newspaper, "There is something in there that Koroku will want to look at as well. It's on the front page."

The smoker looked at the article, "So that's what it was?" the smoker flipped to the bottom of the first page and tensed up, "Son of a-" He quickly handed it over to Koroku- who frowned as the paper was shoved in his face then grabbed it, quickly reading it.

And the group watched as the cloaked man's eyes widened in shock before his face settling into an angry scowl, "Is that so? Do they really expect me to believe this crap?" the cloaked man said with an angry growl

"Looks like it." The man in the white robes spoke watching as Koroku looked at the bottom of the newspaper and tensed up- remaining silent for a moment, taking in the news before silently standing up, grabbing his swords and adjusting his cloak. "Where are you going?" the blonde asked watching the black-haired man.

Koroku peeked back. "Out." he said simply before he left.

The blonde watched as the cloaked man walked out- closing the door behind him and walking back out into the rain. He sulked, "But we haven't finished our meeting-"

"Don't act so shocked." The smoker said, "He's heard all that he needed to." He spoke and took another drag. "He's always been like this- it's nothing new."

The larger man spoke, "Will he be alright? It won't be long before we are found out..."

"Koroku will be fine Corbas- he's plenty strong enough to handle them. And Mistiro here will be kind enough to keep an eye on him for us-"

The smoker choked, "The hell?!"

The blonde man simply looked over at him- ignoring the death glare he was receiving. "Besides Koroku you're the best at scouting and your wide range of magic gives good backup if the occasion calls for it." The blonde man explained as if he were talking to an elementary school student.

"Why you fuc-" The smoker started to curse before he realized what the blonde man was thinking- and the smoker cursed before standing up- looking over at the door.

Outside the door the rain came down even harder. The blonde man let out another sigh, "He's gonna get sick if he stays out there too long-" he said worryingly-

The smoker whirled around- his teeth practically turning into fangs. "You're sounding like a paranoid mom! Besides- he can't even get sick!" The smoker yelled, his voice could even be heard out of the house.

...FT...

Koroku let out a sigh and he walked down the dirt road- being re-soaked by the rain as it fell down. He absentmindedly ran his hand on the fence next to him as he walked, just listening to the silence around him- even the rain didn't seem to be all that loud, leaving him to think to himself.

Something was caught in the corner of his eye-

The cloaked man stopped in his tracks and looked over- his eyes softened as he spotted the warm light coming from the small house a little over twenty yards away from him.

 _How had he not noticed that before?_

Koroku let out a little chuckle and watched the house fondly as memories of a similar house played in his mind.

A house where two young children played- worrying the mother whenever they wandered out into the forest and Koroku himself would have to venture out to find the two boys, only to find them a laughing mess in the creek not too far away.

The memories of being met by his family after a long job- the smell of his wife's cooking coming from the house. Her gentle hands willing to bandage up his wound from a job- but still reprimanding him as she did so. Both of his children practically passing out on top of him that night adding weight to his already sore chest- but he never complained.

The memories of a simple- yet happy life.

The light inside the house turned off- bringing Koroku back to the present rather violently and the man took a deep breath- looking around checking to make sure that he was alone- calming his nerves.

The cloaked man frowned and turned away- pulling the hood of the cloak down over his eyes- and hesitating before taking a step and walking silently down the road before disappearing in the dark.

Never noticing the man step out of the shadows behind him- a small grin crossing his face, "Found you."

...FT...

Makarov frowned as he read the newspaper- it had been a side job that Jason from sorcery weekly had done- normally it was just information on how the Fairy Tail Guild (Mostly Natsu) and destroyed yet more property- costing the town more than the Dark Guild or Bandits or whatever had- but once in a while he did write rather useful information since normally the Magic Council didn't get a say in what he wrote.

 _Black Cats claim responsibility for the attack on the train heading towards Magnolia an attack against the Guild System of Fiore! The Magic Council has yet to respond!_

 _No surprise there._ The Guild Master thought at the fact that the Magic Council hadn't reacted yet. All the Rune Knights did was interrogated team Natsu- Mostly Natsu, who was unable to answer much and only succeeded to wipe out what little energy the Fire Mage had the time with no real leads. "So, it was attack on Fiore?" The old man mumbled- the Black Cats was a small Dark Guild that had been getting violent as of recently. However, they hadn't been involved in the Games- the chance of them getting in contact with Shantire was low...

He looked through the article to see if there was any other news on the article- but was interrupted halfway through by a familiar voice in front of him.

"Master?"

The Guild Master looked up at the redheaded requip mage. "Yes?"

"After Natsu is released tomorrow we were wondering if we could take a light duty job in a nearby town. Lucy's rent money is coming up-" the redhead peeked up at the infirmary, "And I must be honest- I doubt Natsu is going to be able to deal with another week of absolutely no jobs." She stated and the Master sighed.

He had been thinking the same thing back when Porlyusica had mentioned more light duty. "Only in nearby towns- if something happens I want to be able to reach you quickly. And no jobs that require any sort of fighting for the next week."

Erza nodded, "Of course." Then the requip mage rushed over to the table where the rest of the team (besides Natsu) were sitting, no doubt to tell them the news.

The old man sighed once more- tempted to send another team (probably Laxus's team) to keep an eye on them- he shook his head at that thought, they were plenty strong enough to protect themselves- he was no fool, especially after the attack on the train the Mage team would have their guards higher than ever before. Nobody would even be able to approach Natsu without them knowing- and if it came to the worst-case scenario the Guild would be close by- ready to take action at a moment's notice.

Besides- the Magic Council was fairly sure that it was an attack aimed at Fiore in general- not at the Fairy Tail Mages.

Not that the old man ever really took their thoughts seriously- if he did then nothing would ever get done.

The Master rolled his eyes at the thought then looked back down to the paper to read the last article and his eyes widened in noticeable shock as he read the article, "What?" the old man mumbled- his fist tightening in the paper as he gritted his teeth- reading the article again and again just to make sure- just in case he was missing something.

His face settled into a frown as he read over the article just once more.

 _Now that's a name that I recognize..._

...FT...

The room was dark in silent as the shadow of a man loomed across the floor. The shadow's owner chuckled as he stirred his drink- the ice in the drink clinking as it hit the glass. "So, the Magic Council is aware?"

"Yes Master- they weren't able to stop the news from getting to the press either." One of the men standing before him answered.

"Good. This should confuse them enough to give us more time." The man looked over to a cage on the far wall, "And the Black Cats were so kind to claim responsibility for the attack. That makes things so much easier for us."

From the cage, the Guild Master of the well-known Black Cats Dark Guild glared at the man- but remained silent as the man turned away to speak to one of the Dark Guild Members in the room.

"Has the Magic Council reacted yet?"

"No sir- it seems they are waiting to see if the information was false." the same man from before answered yet again and the Master nodded, thinking it over for a moment.

"Not surprising at all." The man spoke as he took another drink, "It is rather unexpected news. Either way- it won't matter- they won't be able to stop us." The man chuckled then looked over to one of his men. "Any news on Natsu Dragneel?"

"According to Leon he was taken unconscious- but otherwise unharmed to the guild- there didn't appear to be any serious injuries." A woman answered, "Do you believe that it was _him_?"

"Or someone connected with _him_. Salamander seems to have a powerful man looking after him- then there's the man from the matches."

"The man in the black cloak Master?" A little girl asked.

"Yes him." The Master spoke, "I was able to look over the footage from the Games and I'm not sure how- but there's no doubt- that's Koroku."

A man let out a laugh, "But he's been dead-"

"There's no other person it could be- are you doubting me fool."

"Not at all- I'm excited, if it is him do I get to kill him?" The man asked, "I've always wanted to kill him?"

"Do as you will- as long as he does not get involved with my plans."

"Sounds good to me." The man grinned from ear to ear. "I wonder if he's as powerful as back _then_?" the man- not too much larger than Gray said- sitting forward with a grin on his face- cracking his knuckles. "I hope he is- it would be boring to kill him if he isn't."

The little girl giggled as she kicked her feet together, looking over at the man. "You sound excited." She said and giggled. "Besides- we don't even know if you can kill him-"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean you brat?" the man snapped.

The little girl giggled, "He could be a ghost."

"Ghosts don't exist! And even if he is I'll just kill him anyways!" The man yelled, "Besides he was pretty solid during the Games for a ghost!"

"What's the matter? Scared of ghosts?" The little girl teased then grinned up at the Master- ignoring the man cussing her out as she spoke up to the Master, "Is there anything else you want us to do Master?"

"For now- we wait."

The little girl whined and sat back- puffing out her cheeks as she pouted- folding her arms as she looked away with another pout- "Ah- I don't like waiting-"

"Just be patient." A woman said to her, "We won't have to wait very long. Do You want to play a game?"

The child's eyes practically glowed at the idea of a game, "Yay! A game!" The child cheered as she practically climbed on the woman's lap, "What's the rules? I wanna play!" The little girl squealed.

The woman giggled, a seemingly kind smile on her face. "It's simple- we don't need the Black Cats any more- kill them."

"Yay!" The child giggled as she hopped onto her feet, "I get to be the cat!" she giggled as she walked up to the cage where the Black Cat's Guild Master was- the Dark Mage growing noticeably pale. "And they're all a bunch of mousies!"

One of the Largest men in the room looked over the Master- his chains clanging together on his side as he stood up, "I thought this plan was to kill the demon-"

"And it will." The Master spoke, "But while we are at it we should also get rid of the original source of both those curses." The Master spoke, "We will kill all three of them. Once our plan is completed this world shall be rid of that cursed bloodline."

The man stood up, "Very well." He said and left the room- ignoring the screams coming from their captive as he closed the door- at least Aia would be entertained for a while.

The Master chuckled as he looked over at a lacrima vision which showed a still shot of during the games when Natsu just barely pulled out of harm's way in the maze by the man in the black cloak. The shot was of just as the man had turned to throw the knife into Raven Tail Ivan's hand- giving them a fraction of a second shot of his face.

"I'm not sure how you're alive Koroku Dragneel-" The Master said, "But you should've stayed dead." The Master said as he took another drink- his eyes not leaving from the screen.

In the corner of the room- hidden in the shadows, and keeping far away from the other members of the Dark Guild, another man looked at the newspaper in his hands without making a sound- examining the bottom of the page- a smirk playing on his face as he read the article to himself- ignoring the commotion in the room. The headline played in his mind again and again.

 _The Black Knight Dark Guild has been disbanded!_

 **.**

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 **...FT...**

 **And there's chapter three!**

 **I hoped you liked it!**

 **Feel free to review!**

 **But no flames plz!**

 **Til next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Finally I got to see Fairy Tail Dragon Cry! It was amazing!**

 **Needless to say watching the movie got me really pumped for writing more fanfics- while I was waiting I was able to work on this one and a few others that I had planned out but not quite worked one yet- mostly one shots or a smaller story. I will be posting that one as soon as I get it typed! So yay!**

 **I still might be a little slow when it comes to posting chapters but that's my schedule- but I'll try to at least put out the one shot asap! (Don't worry I'm still working on this series)**

 **Thanks for the reviews from-**

 **-lovencharmed**

 **-Attackoneverything**

 **-Iris Patton**

 **-Enjali**

 **-CatNoir**

 **-Snowflake**

 **-Deboo**

 **-Adrien Agreste**

 **Keep up the reviews!**

 **No Flames please though- not that I've had any problems with it so far.**

 **Well anyways! Here's chapter four!**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **I do not own Fairy Tail- all rights go to Hiro Mashima**

 **...FT...**

The Iron Dragon Slayer stuffed more metal into his mouth with a scowl. "I said that you could come along-" The Dragon Slayer looked back with a scowl at the last two following the three of them a little ways back. "But why those two?"

"Like we'd leave you alone with Levy-chan!" Jet yelled.

"Yeah! What he said!" Droy yelled as he tried to desperately catch up.

Levy let out a small sigh, "Well, we are a team..." The small Solid Script Mage looked up at the tall Iron Mage.

In the small bluenette arms Pantherlily spoke up, "You might as well let them come along- they're not going to stay behind either way." The black Exceed pointed out.

The punk scowled, "Fine." He growled, "You two better hurry up or I'm leaving you behind!" He yelled back to the other two members of Team Shadow Gear.

"You asshole!" The two male mages yelled and Gajeel scowled before turning away with an annoyed huff before stomping off.

Levy let out a nervous chuckle as she followed behind the Iron Dragon Slayer- still holding onto the black Exceed.

...FT...

Porlyusica patted Natsu on the back (the "pat" feeling a little rougher than it should had been to someone who had just been through a train wreck.) "You're good enough to move around- but remember you're still on light duty." The medic told the Fire Mage as he hopped up onto his feet and stretched.

"Right- got it." The Dragon Slayer said then looked out the window- thinking to himself for a moment before he bolted out of the room- still hearing the _"break that rule and I'll make sure you stay in the infirmary for another three weeks!" being yelled from behind him._

Porlyusica sighed, then she looked down at the Guild Master with a scowl. "What's this about him going on a job?" She demanded of the small old man.

Makarov quickly looked away, "I was assured that it was merely a maintenance job. They won't be fighting anyone." The Guild Master spoke quickly in order to avoid the broom's wrath. "And to be honest- I'm not sure how much more the guild can take of Natsu being trapped inside with nothing to do." The old man said- amazed by the fact that the Guild Hall still remained somewhat intact.

"Don't blame me if he takes longer to heal." The medic grumbled once more as she turned away- peeking back once more at the door before she let out a long annoyed sigh and turned away.

...FT...

Natsu let out a sigh of relief as he made his way downstairs- glad to finally be out of that room again. "Yo! Natsu!" Macao called out as soon as the pinkette came into view. "Porlyusica cleared you?"

The Fire Mage nodded, "Yup- I'm good." He responded then looked away- looking around the normally insane Guild Hall. Some people were missing from what he could tell. His team was still there- but there were some missing.

Laxus's team was gone, Natsu- suddenly realized. Leaning back a little to get a view of upstairs- just in case if the S-Class mage decided to relax up there for a bit. "Is Laxus gone?"

"Yup. Took his team with him. Gajeel and Pantherlily also headed out with Team Shadowgear- they both have jobs specifically asking for them." The older Fire Mage answered and looked over, "You guys heading out too?"

"It's a small job- but yeah." Natsu said as he stretched- now that Macao said it he did notice that the annoying iron eating jerk was gone as well- along with the small book reading bluenette that Lucy often hung out with.

"Back on light duty I see?"

Natsu scowled. "For the next week- but Gramps is still letting me go on jobs as long as I don't have to fight in them." The Dragon Slayer said with a pout- all this laying around was making him twitchy- he desperately wanted a good fight.

"Oi! Flamebrain! You just gonna sit there all day!" Gray yelled and Natsu scowled- and walked over to them.

"I wasn't sitting frostbite." Natsu retorted.

Before the two Mages could continue their argument Erza spoke up. "The train is still out of commission so we're going to have to walk to our next assignment. The requip Mage stated and Natsu cheered-

No train!

Erza sighed and went to go grab her stuff, If we want to get there before tomorrow we'll have to leave now. She looked over at Natsu, "Do you feel well enough to be walking this much?"

Natsu frowned for a moment then grinned from ear to ear as he stretched his arm. "I'm good to go- I just gotta grab my stuff from my place before we-"

"I already took care of that for you." Erza said as she pointed to his normal bag sitting on the table. "I had Happy's help to decide what you normally bring."

"Uh. Thanks." Natsu said- staring at the bag. _How did I not notice that?_ The Fire Mage thought then shook his head and picked up his bag. "Alright! I'm all fired up!" He yelled as he threw his bag on and practically ran out of the guild with Happy flying right behind him.

"Aye sir!"

Wendy quickly rushed over to pick up Carla - who merely sighed. "No need to be in such a rush child." The White Exceed scolded. "It's not like we have to catch a train or anything."

"I know that." The Sky Mage said, "But Natsu-san seems really excited for this job- so I was thinking that we should get going a bit sooner."

The female feline sighed. "Of course he would be. But remember he still needs to take an easy- you're the medic here so you need to be mindful of that."

The small bluenette nodded. "Right." She said as she walked up to the rest of the team as Natsu shifted his backpack on his shoulders.

"Be back soon!" Mira called after them.

Lucy turned back and waved as she followed the rest of her team out. "Don't worry we'll be back before you know it!" The Celestial Mage called back then she ran to catch up with the others, stepping up next to Natsu- who shot her a wide grin.

Mira let out a giggle as she finished cleaning one of her glasses peeking over as Lisanna spoke up. "Sister are you sure that Natsu is going to be alright?" The youngest Strauss sibling asked. "He was in the infirmary until just this morning."

Mira smiled softly. "He'll be alright- it's a light job and the other's won't let anything happen to him." The Take-Over Mage said. "And they are all close by if it get's too bad." Her elder sister said then looked back at her glass. "Besides, you know that Natsu would never give up. Even if something does happen and they do turn out to be in danger Natsu will never stop fighting to protect the others- just like they would never stop fighting to protect him." She smiled fondly as she thought back on the group. "That's Fairy Tail's strongest team for you."

Lisanna looked back at the guild hall doors and smiled, before smiling and nodding with more confidence, "Right!"

...FT...

Natsu peeked back as Lucy let out an annoyed groan, "Something wrong Luce?" The pink-haired Fire Mage asked the blonde Celestial Mage, peeking over his shoulder at her as they walked.

"The fact that a group of terrorist decided to take out the only train heading towards Magnolia is the problem, and It's so hot out!" The Celestial Mage whined, "And I'm already wearing a skirt and tank top."

Natsu frowned, "What are you talking about- it's not that hot-"

"You're a Fire Dragon Slayer, you're used to hotter." Lucy interrupted with a sigh.

"I'm gonna have to agree with the pyro here- It's not too hot." Gray called back from the front of the group.

"You're an Ice Mage." Lucy sighed. "And put on some clothes!" Lucy yelled as she quickly covered Wendy's eyes- who happened to be standing next to her.

Gray nodded, "I see you're point." He said then after a moment he blinked, "Wait what-" He looked down at himself, "Dammit! Where'd my clothes go!" The Ice Mage yelled as he frantically searched for his missing articles of clothing.

Carla merely sighed and shook her head.

Erza peeked back with a sigh, "It is a little hot." The requip mage agreed, "We'll stop for a quick break up ahead. After all we can't be pushing Natsu too much for this job." She turned away- and the group inwardly sighed as they could practically see the redhead go into her-self patronizing fits. "Forgive me I was a fool- you may strike me fool my foolishness." The redhead started.

Natsu laughed nervously, "Un nah- that's ok." He said- knowing full well that even if he took the offer the redhead would probably just forget and strike him back with monstrous force. So instead the pinkette gave a nervous laugh. "Besides I'm not actually tired-"

"Let's move over to the shade."

Natsu sighed- no point trying to convince the Requip Mage- he was far too jumpy from all the resting he did- although his vision was slightly blurry around the edges for some reason. The Fire Mage blinked to try and get rid of it- but with no such luck. The Fire Mage frowned silently. _Maybe Erza's right- I might actually need a bit of a break._ He followed the rest of his team. _Dammit._

"Natsu?" Happy called over, grabbing his best friend's attention, the pinkette quickly turned. "Are you alright?"

"Maybe you need more rest than you're willing to admit." Erza stated- looking back at the Fire Mage. "This is a light job- so you don't need to push yourself too much." The armored Mage reminded him.

Wendy looked over. "If you'd like I can use my magic to help with any dizziness or pain." The Sky Maiden offered- knowing full well that the Fire Mage wouldn't want to go back to skip out on this job. She would also be able to use that to check and see if his body was actually healed enough to be up and around. Porlyusica said that he would be ok for light duty- but the Fire Mage did seem awfully tired.

"I'm alright." Natsu waved his hand and smiled down at the small bluenette. "Thanks for the offer though. But I'm not dizzy or anything like that- I was just thinking."

"Yup you might want to check him over Wendy." Gray spoke up- jutting a thumb over at Natsu. "If this idiot here is actually thinking, that's never a good sign."

"What'd you say Ice Princess!" Natsu snapped.

"Natsu- focus." Erza ordered.

The Fire Mage immediately stood at attention- beads of sweat running down his face. "Aye sir!" He practically squeaked.

 _And there's the second Happy..._ Lucy thought with a sigh.

Lucy watched the pinkette talking to Erza- the others were just as worried about Natsu as she was- even if Gray didn't show it as much, he had stopped, and now was looking back at them. Not like she could blame them- first the Games and now the attack on the train, there was still a chance that the Dark Guild that attacked was after Natsu and was just saying Fiore as a cover up to get them to relax.

Except none of them were relaxed.

Natsu sighed as he sat down in the shade- looking around at the meadow that they had stopped to take a break in- they were under one of the few trees in the area.

Erza was going on and on about a picnic as she set the meal up. Not that Natsu would complain- food always sounded nice. (Unless he had just eaten Ethernano) The Requip Mage in less than a few minutes had the entire picnic set up and they all sat around eating. "Once we finish here we'll keep going for little while before stopping for the night."

Natsu frowned and looked up, "It's gonna take us more than one day to get their?" The Dragon Slayer piped up- he had been in the area before, sure it had been a long walk- but he didn't remember it being quite that far-

"We have been moving slower than usual." The armored mage spoke simply and Natsu quickly looked down at his food. "We'll find a place to camp and get some sleep before we keep moving. It won't hurt us to get some more rest before we get there." She looked over at Natsu, who was still studying his food- seemingly thinking to himself.

...FT...

Mistiro let out a small curse as he looked around the forest that he had been resting in. "Dammit- I took a small nap and that Bastard is nowhere in sight." He growled as he looked through his binoculars. "Tch- typical." He sighed and put away the binoculars before stretching and looking around- and eyebrow raised.

"You can come on out- I don't bite." The smoker said as puffed out some more smoke- talking to the trees around him.

Then out of nowhere a Mage appeared behind him- shooting a fire based attack at his back- the smoker looked back and let out a sigh-

Then the attack struck.

The dark mage smirked and let out a laugh as he stepped back. "Stupid old man. Don't you know that it's dangerous to be in these woods by yourself. Who knows what could attack you at night."

"Now I know what that jerk was planning..."

The dark mage's eyes widened in shock as the smoke began to clear. "What the hell-" He took a step back. "That's not possible-"

"I can already hear him." The smoker scowled. _"I didn't want to deal with them- I figured you had nothing better to do._ " He mocked Kuroko's voice. "Damn jerk." The smoke cleared- revealing the smoker completely unharmed- pouting at the cigarette that had fallen to the ground. "And what a waste perfectly good of a smoke." Mistiro said with a sigh.

"What the he-"

"Young man." The smoker said- interrupting the dark mage. "I did tell you that I didn't bite-"

The Dark Guild Member's eyes widened in shock as he saw the tree next to them had been blasted and burned to ashes.

 _I know that I didn't miss- and even if I did, there's no way I could have missed that bad!_ The Dark Guild member's mind screamed and he looked back- his eyes widening even more with horror-

-And the gunshot went off.

"But I do shoot." The smoker spoke simply- scowling when he heard the other Dark Guild members running up. "Dammit." He growled- then jumped high in the air- dodging all the spells that were aimed at him.

"He's a Guns Mage!" One of the Dark Mages yelled, "We have plenty of those you idiot!" The same one yelled and the smoker smirked.

"Most do." The smoker said, "So I'm not really all that surprised. But I'm not a Guns Mage-" Mistiro said as he dodged several more attacks heading his way, shifting his body to the side to dodge some that were coming a little too close for comfort.

The smokers feel resting on the tree trunk for a fraction of a second before he launched himself to the side once more- dodging some more magical attacks of all different elements. "You know it's quite dangerous to be attacking with such a wide range of magic?" The smoker said- easily finding some more attacks.

The Mages continued to attack one of them eventually speaking up. "He's dodging these shots in mid-air and he's not even looking!"

This bastards mocking us!"

The smoker launched himself to the side, "Not at all- I'm just saying- not all spells mix well- you have to be careful of what kind of combinations you all come up with."

"Shut up old man!" A Dark Mage yelled and shot into the air aiming at the smoker- who scowled reached out- slapping the spell to the side and the Mage stared in shock. "It touched him that should've injured him a little-"

The smoke around the smoker's hand cleared- revealing his hand perfectly unharmed- the clothe of the glove not even singed.

"What the hell is he?"

"Just kill him!"

The smoker scowled. "This is taking too long- he grumbled and flipped himself over in midair- dodging another shot before starting to fall back down towards the ground.

Then he landed on the ground in the middle of the circle of Dark Mages and held up his arms.

"Ha! He's surrounded!" One of the Dark Mages yelled and they all rushed in- but before they could get too far Mistiro's magic flared and the Dark Mages stared in shock as a countless number of guns surrounded the Mages- all of different shapes and sizes- and all of them pointing at them.

"How can he summon so many at once?"

Then they all went off.

...FT...

Gray looked back in the direction that they had come from as a weird feeling washed over him. He scanned the horizon- looking for anything- but nothing stood out- just the typical Fiore countryside.

The Ice Mage turned back to the Requip Mage. "Erza."

The redhead nodded as her brown eyes peeked back- scanning the horizon wearily for any sign of danger. "We are going to keep moving for a bit longer." The Requip Mage said and looked back at Natsu, "Will you be able to handle that?"

"I'm fine." The pinkette said-proving that he had been paying attention- the Fire Mage seemed to be staring off in space a moment before.

Lucy unconsciously grasped for her keys. _Something just happened- but what was it?_ The Celestial Mage didn't see anything wrong- but her stomach screamed at her that there was. Plus the way that the others were acting- even Natsu and Happy seemed tense at the moment.

Wendy silently looked around- she sensed that something had happened- but there was no way to tell what. In the Sky Dragon Slayer's arms the white Exceed frowned quietly. _What is this feeling?_ She thought to herself.

 _Everything went pitch black_

 _A large old city towering over the treetops- it was a city that Carla had never seen before._

 _Erza yelling and running as she summoned her sword- her body covered in wounds as she requiped into her Black Winged Armor- swords appearing in her hands as she charged into the battlefield._

 _The ground in the city giving out- and two Fairy Tail Mages falling._

 _Natsu falling to the ground- seemingly lifeless._

Carla blinked and she was back in the real world. _Was that a vision?_ Carla looked over at Erza- watching the Requip Mage continue walking ahead- obviously more on edge than before and she scanned the area around them.

 _I'll need to tell her tonight- this mission may be too dangerous!_

Happy looked over at his best friend- who was unusually silent- then again it seemed that they all had the same bad gut feeling-

Natsu clenched his fists- the smell on the air was thick with smoke-

And blood.

The group walked into the tree line- just missing the smoke rising to the sky from a little ways behind them.

...FT...

The was once forest was now a complete wasteland- trees were ripped apart and the ground was barely recognizable. The few stumps of trees that remained were littered with bullet holes of all different sizes.

The area was eerily silent- and not even the wind dared to blow- allowing the smoke to go straight up into the sky- only to fall back down as ash- turning the ground white as snow.

There was no sign of any of the Dark Mages bodies- however the air was thick with blood- and in the middle of it a man knelt on the ground- he hadn't moved from his position before his attack- hands still outstretched- but all the guns had vanished- leaving the only untouched area in at least a mile to be a small ten foot radius circle around the smoker, his head bowed down- his bangs hiding his eyes. "Looks like that may have been a bit much overkill for this situation." The smoker said- his voice monotone. "But an entire Dark Guild attacking one man in the forest- that's a bit of overkill too- so I guess all's fair." He said as he slowly stood up- his bangs still hiding his eyes. "Too bad for all of you however, I am no Guns Mage-" He looked up- his eyes glowing red and were practically on fire- little flames dancing in the irises.

"I am War."

...FT...

The Woman looked over at the man in the white robes. "Is there some other reason you sent Mistiro after Koroku?"

The man looked back. "There is no need to worry. Koroku is not in trouble. I just feel that the way things are going it would be better to have more than one out at a time."

The woman looked over. "The Dark Guilds are starting to act up more and more." She said- looking over her shoulder. "The three big Dark Guilds are out of the picture so now all the smaller ones believe that they can do whatever they want. The Magic Council won't be able to keep up." She said.

"It's not the smaller ones acting up that is the problem." The man said, "All four of them are the most powerful in their own ways." He spoke- examining his water glass. "Each one of them can easily handle two or three of those at once and not even break a sweat."

"You're worried about the Balam Alliance being replaced?"

"Each side is about to make their own move- the time is drawing nearer. We need to be ready." The man said, "This fight is going to be like nothing this world has seen before." Finally he looked over at the woman. "That's why as my second in command I need you to keep those boys in line."

"Can't handle four people?"

"Not those four."

...FT...

Natsu sighed as he laid down- not that he would ever want to admit it out loud- but he was exhausted. _Well I was in a train wreck- guess not everything can be perfectly fine- although... I still don't get what happened..._

"Oi- Flamebrain. Stop thinking and going to sleep- you tiny brain will break if you keep doing that." Gray called over as he leaned on a tree not too far away.

"What did you say Ice Prick!"

"Go to sleep you two." Erza called over.

"Yes mamn-" they both called out and immediately laid down with their backs to each other. Natsu let out a little huff before closing his eyes- sleep did sound good-

And before the others were fully laid down Natsu was out like a light. Lucy looked over at the sleeping Fire Mage.

"Looks like he was pretty tired."

"All the more reason to get some more rest." The Requip Mage said as she laid down. "We have some more walking tomorrow and a job to do. Then we'll be taking a different route home." The armored mage said and the Celestial Mage nodded- not wanting to deal with whatever had given all of them that feeling earlier.

...FT...

 _The small child looked up as the door opened- a pair of black boots entering the child's vision and the child gave a wide grin before standing up and waddling over to grab the man's pant leg as the man sat down with an exhausted sigh._

 _The man looked down at the small child and let gave a matching grin. The child couldn't see the man's face- but he knew that he was grinning and had said something as the man's hand reached down to mess up the small child's head- the small child letting out a giggle as he tried to grab the older man's hand._

 _Something was said and the small child turned around with a grin ever present on his face at another boy standing in the doorway to one of the other rooms._

 _This boy was bigger than the small child- that's the only detail that the small child could see- despite the boy standing in perfect view._

 _Another person called out and the small child quickly broke out into a run- rushing past the older boy- who quickly turned around and raced the small child into whatever room they were heading to._

 _Behind them the man pushed himself up and let out a laugh-_

 _Despite the child not being able to hear his voice._

...FT...

The Fairy Tail team entered the town at the crack of dawn. Natsu let out a yawn and looked around the town- which was still unsurprisingly still asleep. "I thought we we're going to stop for the night?"

"I felt that we needed to head out a bit sooner." The Requip Mage said as she looked around. "And now we are here so we can start our job sooner."

"That's great and all-" Gray said as he jutted out his thumb towards the empty street. "But nobody else is awake yet- so we can't get any information on our job."

Erza stared silently at the street for a moment- just blinking and running whatever scenario she had planned out through her head. Then she stepped away from the group. "I'm such a fool!"

"Um- hello, are you the Fairy Tail Mages?"

The group looked over at a lone man standing in the street in front of them. "Somebody was awake." Lucy commented. Then stepped forward, "Yes we are."

"I am the mayor of this town." The tiny man with the weird looking mustache explained- and Natsu found his voice to be incredibly annoying, but the Fire Mage somehow kept his mouth shut. "You're late." The man stated and the group inwardly winced.

Erza spoke up, "Forgive us. The train is still out due to the recent attack from the other day and we had to take it slow due to one of us still recovering from an injury." The redhead explained- keeping her voice calm. The man listened with a frown before speaking.

"This injury you mentioned- it won't hinder your ability to finish this job, will it?"

"Not at all." The armored mage assured the man.

The man looked around the group- no doubt trying to pinpoint the injured one. He passed by Natsu- so the Fire Mage must've at least looked better. "Fine then. Your job is a simple one. This town is being plagued by rats. I want you to get rid of them."

"Rats?"

...FT...

"When the mayor said rats- I didn't think that they would be this big!" Lucy screamed as she ran as fast as she could- behind her was a two meter tall snarling rat with large, sharp, and yellow teeth.

Natsu scowled as one lunged at him- the pinkette let out a little curse as he jumped out of the way- just barely dodging the assault. The Dragon Slayer's feet hit flat on the wall and he was about to use it as a springboard-

Then his vision went double and he fell.

"Natsu!" Happy yelled as he swooped in- catching his friend before the pinkette hit the ground and maneuvered him out of the way to dodge the incoming attack and Gray stepped in- his ice cannon propped up on his shoulder. "Get behind me!"

"Aye!" Happy yelled as he flew behind the Ice Mage- the rat turning and chasing them- only to be shot down by the ice cannon's blast. Happy landed, letting the Fire Mage lean back against the side of the water pipe that they were in.

At the moment It was only The three of them. Lucy had been with the group- but in her fit of panic she had run off. Natsu vaguely remembered her doing something like that in Edolas. Erza had separated with them in the beginning with Wendy and Carla. Gray peeked back at the Fire Mage. "Oi. Flamebrain, You alright?"

Natsu nodded and stood up. "Yeah I'm fine. That was weird." He mumbled shaking his head to clear the fogginess in his head.

The Ice Mage scowled and walked over. "Some maintenance job this turned out to be." He growled. "Clients these days really need to be more specific on their flyers." He said and looked around. "Where did Lucy go?"

"She was being chased by one of those rats." Natsu said as he looked over in the direction that the Celestial Mage had run off to. "She'll be fine." The Fire Mage said, "These things are really weak and she has all those keys with her."

"If she'd just calm down and remember that she has them." Happy said with a sigh and Natsu laughed.

"How many of these things are there anyway?" The Dragon Slayer piped up- looking over at the Devil Slayer.

"I dunno- You're the one with the freaking ridiculous scenes- you tell me." Gray snapped back and Natsu frowned and closed his eyes- taking in all the scents, it was hart with how wet the whole place was.

He could definitely smell Lucy- along with Happy, and yeah Gray too- He scrunched his nose at that one. "A few more." Then he looked to their right. "Including one coming up now." He finished hearing splashing noises that were too large for any human.

"Right."

...FT...

Lucy sighed as Loke finished taking down the giant rat. With so much water in the place Aquarius would had been preferred- The Celestial Mage frowned- lately so many things have seemed to be almost teasing her on the fact that she no longer had the water Celestial Mage.

The Lion Celestial spirit landed gracefully in front of her- pushing up his glasses. "There, how's that? Feel better now beautiful?"

Lucy looked around. "There's probably going to be more of them." She stated and the Celestial Spirit nodded.

"I do sense a few more of those creatures." The Lion spoke looking around. "None are too close though. Best to keep an eye out however."

Lucy nodded- already in her Star Dress. "Right. But first things first." She looked around- her face going pale as she nearly slapped herself. "I was running so much I got lost! I need to get back the Natsu and Gray!"

Leo the Lion laughed. "That's my girl!"

...FT...

Erza nodded. "I see. So that's what you saw?" The redhead stood up after Carla had told her about her vision. Not too far away from them Wendy was preoccupied with keeping an eye out for any rats to listen in on their conversation. "We'll need to be careful." The Requip Mage looked over at Wendy. "See any more?" She asked the small Sky Dragon Slayer.

"Just one." The Sky Dragon Slayer looked over. "It's coming this way- but I don't think that it had noticed us yet." She told the Requip Mage.

Erza nodded and walked forward. "We'll clear this area out quickly and head to the next area." The redhead said as her body glowed- after a bright flash of light the Fairy Queen walked toward the giant rat- which had now taken notice of her thanks to the light.

Carla behind her let out a little sigh- next to her Wendy let out a little squeak as Titania summoned a circle of swords. "E-Erza-san. It's just one rat- and were inside a tunnel- I don't thinks that's a good idea-"

And Erza attacked.

...FT...

Team Natsu stood in the Mayor's house after the job was finished silently as the Mayor chewed them out- not noticing the funny faces that the two boys were giving his as he frustratedly paced back and forth ranting at the Fairy Tail Mages in his incredibly annoying voice, waving his hand in the air.

"You caused more damage to this city then those rats did in the first place!" The mayor yelled at the team- waving his hands as he yelled at the point that the two boys had to lean back so that they weren't going to be hit by the man.

"I asked you to get rid of the rats not become more of a nuisance then them!" The Mayor yelled- turning and pointing accusingly at the mages. "Those rats have been pestering this town for a whole year and they never caused even half the amount of damage that you fools cause in less than one day!" He ranted. "A whole street- completely destroyed- five houses beyond the point of repair! Our historic fountain in shambles!"

The Fairy Tail Mages peeked over at each other- wondering which one of them had done that one- none of them had even seen a fountain- let alone remember destroying it.

"You Fairy Tail Mages should be ashamed of yourselves!" The Mayor practically screamed. Natsu winced and rubbed his ears- not even bothering to hide the fact that the man's voice had hurt his ears.

The Mayor continued ranting and Natsu scowled and the Fire Dragon Slayer couldn't help but to look out the window to see the damage as the Mayor went on and on about how this town was famous for its historical sights and should be well taken care of and how he didn't need a bunch of Fairies blasting (Natsu's ears perked up at that one) the town to bits. The Fire Mage looked at the town for a moment- frowning slightly from confusion.

"I don't really see anything different-" The pinkette wanted to say something along the lines that the town looked like a dump when they got here- but the Celestial Mage slapped a hand over the Fire Mage's mouth before the Mayor could pick up that he had said something.

Finally the mayor turned back around- once again pointing at the Mages, and once again practically screamed.

"They repair bill will be taken out of your reward!"

Natsu winced once more and even the other's felt compelled to cover their ears- his voice hurting their ears.

Lucy sighed as she turned away. "There goes my rent money."

...FT...

The Fairy Tail Guild was far too quiet without all of the usual trouble makers in the Guild Hall- the Fairy Tail Master, Makarov realized with a sigh as he looked around the Guild Hall- which at the moment was devoid of any fights.

Vijeeter was in the corner of the room practicing one of his many dance moves- not too far away Laki was reading one of her many books that she normally read. Lisanna and Elfman were nearby the door- talking quietly to each other as Mira wandered around serving food and drinks.

Macao and Wakaba were snickering about something at one of the tables- and the Master couldn't help but wonder about it- especially as Mira walked by and smacked the two older men on the back of the head with her now empty serving tray and started scolding them about "Letting Romeo look at that kind of stuff at his age."

The Take-Over Mage shot a little scowl back at the Guild Master as he let out a small snicker- the old man letting out a small yelp and quickly hid his face behind his mug as he chugged.

Nab- as always, stood in front of the board, still trying to find that "perfect job" even though there were plenty of jobs that fitted the Mages capabilities.

Makarov was fairly sure that he had seen Max pass through a few times- saying something about going into town for a little bit for some supplies.

Biska and Alzack sat with their daughter Asuka talking about whatever they were talking about as their daughter sat on her mother's lap playing with whatever toy she had brought that day.

And in the meantime Cana was on her third barrel of alcohol.

There was still no sign of the Thunder God Tribe or of the other teams that had left. The Master realized as he looked around. Gajeel- along with team Shadowgear had left the day before but with the train being out they would have had to walk (the master was doubtful that Gajeel would let them rent a magic mobile) they weren't going to be back for a few days.

Natsu's team had also been forced to walk due to the train being out- and Natsu would be moving slower than usual- they were less then a day away- but the slowdown of their pace meant that they would probably be back later on that night or in the morning- depending on how things went and if they decided to stop for the night.

The only team he was slightly worried about was the Thunder God Tribe- who had left just after Natsu was brought back from the guild from the train wreck. The Guild Master frowned as he took another drink. _Did they find something that they felt that they needed to look into?_ The Guild Master wondered.

The Guild Master looked down at the ground and couldn't help but to feel a little relief that he was sitting up on the bar counter- he really didn't feel like swimming today.

"Gray-sama left Juvia behind again!" The Water Mage wailed- tears waterfalling out of her eyes as she stood in the doorway- facing outside. The Guild Master somehow managed to hold back the sigh that desperately wanted to escape then he looked back at the floor below him.

Watching the water rise at an alarming rate-

And still rise-

And the Guild Master's eyes widened as he choked-

Wait.

...FT...

Once the group got their reward- which was just barely enough for Lucy's rent the Fairy Tail Mages quickly made their way out of town- mainly due to the possibility that the mayor was contemplating on running them out of town.

Needless to say the Fairy Tail team was out of the town in less than five minutes from after the mayor told them to get out.

Natsu gave a scowl as he threw his hands behind his head. "Picky old man." He mumbled and looked away. "I didn't see anything wrong when we finished the job. The town looked the same to me."

Gray scowled and looked away. "The place was a dump anyway." He surprisingly agreed with the Fire Mage- and the rest of the group was careful not to point out that fact.

Lucy sighed, looking over at Natsu- who had surprisingly given over some of his share to help pay for her rent. All the while saying, "Your place is nice to crash in- so you can't lose it." Which was not all that surprising coming from the Fire Dragon Slayer. _They don't even realize how much damage they caused the town. Go figure._ She thought then looked over at the redheaded Requip Mage- who seemed to be thinking it over.

"That was quite a reaction." The armored mage spoke.

Lucy sweat dropped- because a full street being completely ripped to shreds- three building being burned down and two other buildings being suspiciously being covered in ice would normally leave quite a reaction.

 _Yup completely clueless._

Natsu peeked back at the Celestial Mage. "At least you'll be able to pay for your rent." The pinkette said- a grin across his face.

"Just barely." The Celestial Mage sighed. "And I'm cutting it really close too- It wouldn't surprise me if I get back and my Landlady is waiting for me at my front door." She said- speaking from experience.

The Fire Mage laughed. "Then we just need to get back as soon as possible." He said and looked away. "And take another job."

Erza peeked over, "Not until you've had at least a day to rest. You're still on light duty don't forget- we'll be taking light jobs for the next week- but you still need to have a day break in between."

"But I'm fine-"

"You getting dizzy in the middle of a fight does not count as fine Flamebrain." Gray snapped- not even bothering to look back at the glare that the Fire Mage shot him.

"That happened one time- I was running around the rest of the time and I never got dizzy again and I even used my magic and nothing happened. I'm fine." The Fire Mage snapped.

Erza stepped in front of him- and Natsu gulped as the redhead stared seriously into his eyes. "You got dizzy during this? Why wasn't I informed of this? You should have sat down as soon as you felt that way." The redhead scolded.

"I wasn't really a place I could sit down at!" Natsu defended himself quickly- taking a nervous step back and laughing nervously. "And like I said, it only happened once- I'm fine now."

Wendy looked back worryingly. _Well at least we'll be back at the guild soon so he can have some more time to recover- this wasn't supposed to be a fighting type of job, but it turned out to be anyways. That was probably a little much for him on the first job back._ The Sky Mage thought. She knew that Natsu was plenty strong- he had healed up from the Games twice as fast than what they had originally thought that he would. There was still a few tender spots- but he was at least healed enough to go on normal jobs. Now that there was the train crash- he had definitely taken a step back.

Not that anybody could blame him.

It was a miracle that there weren't more injuries- Porlyusica had said.

In Wendy's arms, Carla spoke up. "Porlyusica did warn us about dizzy spells." The Exceed stated. "And this job turned out to be more labor intensive than we realized- so that's not too surprising." She said. "He'll probably be fine with the walk back and after a day of rest he'll be good as new." She stated.

"Aye sir!" Happy agreed- glad that his friend was alright. He remembered back when his foster parent had collapsed in the tunnel. It had scared the life out of the Blue Exceed- even Gray, who probably refused to show it was worried when the Dragon Slayer was falling limp to the ground.

Erza sighed and stepped back. "That is true. Very well Let's head back. Hopefully we'll get back before nightfall." The Requip Mage said- turning away- before peeking back at Natsu once more. "Will you be able to handle the trek back or do you need to rest first?"

"Nah- I'm good to go." The Fire Mage responded and the Requip Mage smiled softly and nodded- turning away.

"Very well let's-"

Then everything turned pitch black.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **...FT...**

 **There we go- Chapter four!**

 **Hope you all enjoyed!**

 **Feel free to review!**

 **NO Flames plz!**

 **Til next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here we go! Chapter five!**

 **Sorry about the long wait I have a rather large portfolio due soon- right smack in the middle of my finals.**

 **So, because of that I am going to be really busy for a little while.**

 **I will try to get another chapter out soon as possible after this chapter- but as I have explained before I am juggling a lot right now.**

 **I am not going to be stopping this story... It's just there may be a bit of a wait between chapters... So, all I ask for your patience.**

 **I am glad that you all are enjoying these stories so much... I honestly didn't think they would be this popular! =)**

 **Anyway, thanks for the reviews from-**

 **-Adrien Agreste**

 **-Person**

 **-Deboo**

 **-Snowflake**

 **-Enjali**

 **-Iris Patton**

 **-Lovencharmed**

 **-Guest**

 **I'm glad you all enjoyed it!**

 **Feel free to review**

 **No flames plz!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **I do not own Fairy Tail- all rights go to Hiro Mashima.**

 **...FT...**

 _Erza sighed and stepped back. "That is true. Very well Let's head back. Hopefully we'll get back before nightfall." The Requip Mage said- turning away- before peeking back at Natsu once more. "Will you be able to handle the trek back or do you need to rest first?"_

" _Nah- I'm good to go." The Fire Mage responded and the Requip Mage smiled softly and nodded- turning away._

" _Very well let's-"_

 _Then everything turned pitch black._

...FT...

Natsu stopped- his whole body going rigid as his eyes tried to adjust. "What the hell is this?" The Dragon Slayer asked- it was like he was in a room with all the lights suddenly shut off. The Fire Mage let out a scowl as he blinked a few times to see if he just needed to adjust- and having no such luck.

"Is everybody alright?" The Fire Mage heard Erza call out and he perked up, _I can hear the others- which means..._ He checked for everyone's scents- and sure enough they were all in the same places as before.

"Yeah- I'm fine." Lucy called out.

"Good here." Gray spoke. "What about you Flamebrain?" The Ice Mage called out, ninety nine percent sure that he heard the pinkette just a moment before.

"I'm fine." The Fire Mage snapped- not liking his nickname. "Wendy?"

"I'm ok." The small bluenette's small voice called out.

"I am as well." Carla's voice rang.

Natsu looked around unable to see still. "Happy?"

"Aye sir." His best friend sounded next to him, telling the Fire Mage that he was in the same spot that he had last seen the Exceed in. "Why did it get so dark?" The Blue Exceed asked- sounding nervous.

"Oi- Flamebrain, give us a light." Gray called over and the Fire Mage cursed- holding out his hand.

 _Why didn't I think of that?_ The Fire Mage light his hand a flame and frowned. He could feel the familiar heat- but he couldn't see the light of the flame.

"What's taking you so long?" The Devil Slayer snapped- not seeing the usual fire's glow.

"I am- I'm using fire right now." The Dragon Slayer explained and Gray frowned- still not seeing anything, despite looking at exactly where Natsu's voice was coming from.

"I can't see it." Happy said, "Are you sure that you're using it?"

The Dragon Slayer nodded, then quickly spoke when he remembered that no one else could see him. "Yup. I can't see it either." He said- bringing his hand up to his face- smacking himself- he let out a little hiss and examined where he knew his hand was- only seeing darkness.

"This is no normal darkness." Erza stated, pointing out a fact that they had all become aware of... Despite the fact that the lights going off _outside_ should have been enough to alert the mages of that fact. "Keep all of your senses as sharp as possible." The Requip Mage spoke and Natsu was able to hear her requip.

The sound of Lucy's keys rang and Gray's and Wendy's clothing shifted as they moved into battle positions- ready to fight any enemy.

Natsu shifted his own stance both fists up in the air as best as he could- for someone who couldn't see anything. The Fire Mage closed his eyes- knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to see anyway. So instead he focused on his hearing and sense of smell- so far, the only people that were near them was his fellow guildmates.

The Devil Slayer could feel the tattoo creeping up his arm as he held his ice maker stance- everybody in the team was silent- to the point that one couldn't even hear their breathing. He was fully aware that Natsu was focused on his heightened sense of smell and hearing- so he mostly listened to the Fire Mages reactions. No doubt that the pink haired Dragon Slayer would be the first to move should an enemy approach.

Lucy kept silent- next to her she could hear Wendy's hair move as she turned her head. The Celestial Mage kept her keys at the ready- but didn't summon anyone since each teammate would most likely take that as a sign that there was an enemy nearby, however her hand did not move to her keys- fingering Leo's since he was her strongest.

Carla and Wendy stood back to back- Carla being in her human form while Wendy had shifted to Dragon Force- both of them staying silent as their eyes scanned the darkness.

Erza stood with her blades at the ready in her speed armor. Her eyes were closed as she listened. She could hear Gray shift slightly- she could hear the flicker of Natsu's flames- but other than that everybody was still.

Happy's eyes scanned the darkness- he couldn't hear any of the others and he still couldn't see anything. In his paws was the fish that he had pulled out of his bag. _Where are you- you-_

Then the group heard a deep chuckle- Natsu tensed up then whirled around- attacking as he realized that it was right behind him. He felt somebody painfully grab his wrist and twist- earning a little yelp- then the Dragon Slayer gasped and tried to pull back as he felt another hand- a large one he could tell grab his neck.

"Fairy Tail must all be a bunch of weaklings if this is already the third team that I've caught in one day."

"Natsu drop!" Gray yelled.

The Fire Mage let his knees go limp and he fell to the ground- slipping out of the attacker's grip on his neck. "Right!" Natsu yelled, letting Gray know his exact position.

The attacker still had a grasp on his wrist and he tried to pull the Fire Mage back to his feet but before he could move the Dragon Slayer too much the Ice Blade sliced his side and the attacker let out a yell, and stumbled back- but never releasing Natsu. Natsu could hear the wind from the attacker swinging their arm- Gray must've been able to dodge because the Fire Mage never heard an impact.

Gray slid back, letting out a small curse- Natsu hadn't pulled back with him, telling the Devil Slayer that the Dragon Slayer wasn't freed from the attacker's hold.

"You can fight all you want Fairies- but it doesn't matter. It's far too late for you." The attacker said and Natsu winced as the man squeezed his wrist as he pulled the Fire Mage back to his feet roughly- causing the Fire Mage to crash into the attacker before gaining his footing and stepping back.

"Natsu!" Gray yelled, he could hear the Ice Mage move once more but this time he was struck by the attacker- throwing the Devil Slayer back into Lucy and Wendy- and successfully throwing all three of them back into something quite hard judging by the sound of the impact.

"Lucy! Wendy! Carla! Gray!" Natsu yelled knowing full well that those were the four people that were struck. He turned back to where he knew the enemy was. "Let me go dammit!" The Fire Mage yelled and threw a flaming punch- only to have his other wrist grabbed and he was pulled forward to where he could practically feel the man's breath on his face.

"I've already told you Dragneel. It's far too late for you." A man's voice snarled. Natsu tensed up as he could sense a large amount of magic power building up behind him.

The Fire Mage looked back- staring into the darkness behind him- the magic still growing- _I need to dodge that, if that hits me-_ The Fire Mage turned back and tried to pull away- but the attacker's grip was too strong. "Dammit!"

"Natsu!" Erza yelled and ran forward- only to be stopped by another unseen enemy, clashing swords- using her other senses, besides sight to block the blade as it can at her. The redhead blocked another strong blow of the attacker's sword and scowled. _Are they all this powerful? What do they want?_ The Requip Mage looked over in the darkness where she could hear the Fire Mage trying to fight off his attacker. _There's more than one person near Natsu-_ She glared in front of her, at where she knew that the sword she was blocking- which meant a person was at. _But there's only one each for the rest of us- are they aiming at Natsu?_

"Get away from Natsu!" The requip Mage could hear Happy yell and fly forward to help his friend and yelped as the Blue Exceed was slapped out of the air and to the ground.

"Happy!" Natsu yelled- when he heard his friend cry out. "Dammit!" He turned and glared at where he knew his attacker was- lighting his entire body on fire as he yelled in rage, "LET ME THE HELL GO!" He yelled- then choked as he felt the hand grab his neck again- freeing one of his wrist and the Fire Mage swung his fist slamming his first into the attacker's side- but the attacker didn't even twitch.

 _What the? Wait how is this guy able to touch me? I know I covered my body in fire- is he a Fire Mage? Even so, my fire can hurt other Fire Mages- it's not normal fire..._

The Fire Mage's eyes widened as the magic behind him doubled in size before condensing into a small area, and the Fire Mage's heart felt as if it had stopped. _It's about to go off._

"Natsu!" A male voice yelled and he felt somebody grab his shoulders- pushing him away from the attacker's grip and into a hug as the unknown male threw the two of them to the ground as the spell went off- using his larger body to shield the pinkette. "Get down!" The Fire Mage felt a hand on the top of his head- tucking him safely away from the spell. And the rest happened in a split second.

Lucy pushed herself up. "Natsu!" she yelled into the darkness- not too far away Wendy and Carla were trying to push themselves up. Gray had pushed himself up. Somehow managing to run forward in the darkness, another ice sword forming in his hands as he ran.

Erza clashed her sword against an unseen enemies' blade, the redhead tensed up as she felt the magic spike. "Everybody! Get down!" The requip mage yelled.

Natsu was able to smell the familiar coppery smell of blood in the air.

Then there was a bright flash of light.

...FT...

"Natsu!" A familiar voice called out to the Fire Mage the owner's voice becoming clearer by the second- a familiar hand tapping the pinkette's cheek. "Come one kid- open your eyes." The person urged. He felt someone put their head to his chest- probably checking for his heart beat. After a moment, the person gave a relieved sigh, and the heave feeling on his chest was gone.

He felt the hand tap his cheek. "Natsu can you hear me?" The person asked- his voice was getting farther and farther away as he spoke.

 _What?_

The Fire Mage forced his eyes open- it wasn't much- maybe a slit, his vision was far too blurry and everything was moving too much for him to focus. The person must've seen his eyes however, because he gave a sigh of relief. "Don't worry Natsu- you're gonna be alright." The person spoke.

Natsu's vision was beyond the point of being able to make out any shapes and his vision was going dark once more, before slipping off into darkness once more.

...FT...

 _The two boys were playing inside as the woman made her way around them to go into whatever room she was heading into with some basket in her hands. The woman looked back to the man sitting at the table- half asleep._

 _The small child couldn't hear them but he giggled nonetheless at the woman scolding the man sitting at the table. The man laughed and waved his hand as he answered the woman._

 _The woman retorted and the man let out a little yelp as he quickly stood up- making the two children laugh and the woman break out into a smile and turned around and continued walking into the next room._

 _The man was about to follow the woman- his voice stuttering as he was desperately coming up with a comeback as his face turned a brighter red, the woman's laugh ringing from the other room._

 _Then the man stopped due to a knock at the door._

 _The small child watched as the man stood in the same spot- with his back to the door. He couldn't see the man's face but the child knew that he wasn't smiling and the small child frowned worriedly- looking back over at the door as a knock came from it again._

 _The man turned around walking towards the door- kneeling down to mess up the small child's hair as he passes by- offing the child a quick grin._

 _The child pouted and whined as the man messed up his hair some more- standing up. Then the man walked over to the door. Grabbing one of the swords next to the door before opening it._

 _The child couldn't see who was in the doorway- but the man said something to the person in the doorway before stepping out and closing the door behind him. The small child stood up- staring at the closed door. Behind him the older boy pulled his little brother into a hug and the child looked back at the woman standing in the doorway._

 _The woman stared at the closed door, the basket still in her hands. The woman stared silently with a sad look in her eyes before looking back down to the two children in the room and giving them a warm smile._

 _About an hour later the man walked back into the house messing up both of his kid's hair as he passed by them and went to speak with the woman. Both of them walked into the second room- still slightly in the two boys view. The two adults spoke for a few moment- the woman nodding at the end silently. And the man gave a pained smile_

 _The older boy ran out of the front door with books in hand and the smaller child pouted- knowing full well that the older boy wouldn't be back for the rest of the day._

 _The child watched the door for a moment before looking back at the woman- the woman spoke and the child grinned in response- throwing on a pair of sandals before running outside- hearing the woman calling out behind him. The child looked back and nodded waving his hand and laughing._

 _The small child was playing out in the grass when the man walked past him. Reaching down and brushing his hair as he passed. The small child looked up at the man- his face hidden in shadows._

 _Despite that the child knew that the man had a warm- yet sad smile on his face as he spoke and the child pouted as he stood up- grabbing the man's shirt- since he could reach because the man was kneeling down._

 _The child protested and pulled on the clothing in his tiny fists. Not liking the idea of the man leaving for several days once again._

 _The man did that quite a lot- it was for jobs, according to the man. He would be gone anywhere between one to seven days, coming back most of the time with bandages on his face, neck, hands, and arms- probably in other places, but it was always covered by clothing._

 _The child hated that- he hated those bandages._

 _The man let out a little laugh as the child protested- messing up the child's hair, and pulling the child into a hug. The child could feel the man's hand on the top of his head as he continued to talk to the child._

 _The child was quietly pouting- still holding onto the man's shirt- focusing on the knot of the white cloth tied as a belt. The child nodded to whatever the man was saying- despite not being able to hear the man and the man pulled the child into another hug._

 _The man smiled softly, leaning down and whispering to the child's ears._

" _Don't worry Natsu- you're gonna be alright."_

...FT...

"Natsu!"

The Fire Mage felt somebody shake him. "OI! Flamebrain! Wake up!" The Ice Mage's voice yelled at him. Natsu let out a little groan before his eyes shot open and he sat up. "There you are." The Devil Slayer scowled and sat back. "You ok?"

"I- uh- Yeah, I'm fine." The Fire Mage stammered then looked around. "Where'd that person go?" He asked.

Gray frowned, the Ice Mage glanced around the trees- not seeing anybody nearby. "Person? What person? Do you mean the jerks that attacked us?"

"Well them too- wait no- The person that shielded me." Natsu spoke and looked around. "I think I saw him before I passed out- but I-" He stopped- frowning. "I'm not sure."

"All of us got separated in the explosion... Not by too far, just out of view of each other. When I got here you were alone." Gray said as he stood up. "There's no sign that anybody's been here."

"Speaking of here." Natsu stood up and looked around. "Where the hell are we?" Natsu asked and looked around. "And where are the others?" He asked remembering that the Ice Mage had mentioned that they had been separated.

They were in the middle of some forest. The Fire Mage frowned, _I could've sworn that we were still on the road outside that town._ The Fire Mage thought to himself. But they were definitely in a forest now. The Dragon Slayer sniffed the air- he could sense Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Happy, Carla, and Gray- but no other people.

"Not too sure where we are- but Erza and the others are having a look around." Gray said and looked around. "You were still unconscious so they wanted someone to stay near you. Lucy's up in the air with Happy, Wendy, and Carla."

Natsu nodded, then looked up in the air as Wendy called out. "Natsu-san!" The Fire Mage stepped back- letting the small Bluenette land and rush up to him. "Sit down I need to look you over." The Sky Maiden ordered. Behind her Happy set down Lucy and the blonde also rushed over.

Natsu did as he was told and let the healer use healing magic on him. As he watched the noticeable bruises on his wrists disappeared. _Bruises? That person must've had a really strong grip to cause this._ The Fire Dragon Slayer frowned. _Which means that there's probably a bruise on my neck too..._ He thought with a scowl- Wendy's worried look as the small Dragon Slayer glanced at his neck proved his thoughts to be correct.

The Fire Mage looked over at the Celestial Mage. "Did you find anything up there?"

"Aye sir!" Happy spoke, "We were able to see a city nearby!" The Blue Exceed explained. "Lucy said that we should probably head there first. She must be hungry!"

"That's not it!" Lucy snapped at the Exceed.

"Lucy is right." Erza said as she walked out of the trees- now back in her heart kreuz form. She looked down at Natsu. "I'm glad to see you're awake Natsu. How are you feeling?"

The Fire Mage gave a thumbs up and a grin. "Good to go." He said.

Erza nodded. "Good. Wendy how much longer do you need to heal him?"

The Sky Maiden sat back. "I just finished. For some reason those bruises wouldn't heal when he wasn't awake. But they healed perfectly fine now that he is." The young girl said and looked back- her eyes clearly confused.

"Well I'm healed now. So, it's all good right?" Natsu asked and grinned before standing up- looking around. He took another sniff of the air and frowned. "Everything is different."

Gray frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't recognize any of these smells." The Fire Mage explained and looked around. "Well some of them are similar to stuff I smelled before- but not exactly."

Lucy stood up, "I didn't recognize the city we saw from the air either." The Celestial Mage pointed out.

Erza nodded. "We'll go into town. But with caution. For all we know this could be hostile territory. We'll need to be careful." The Requip Mage said and looked around. "Whoever attacked up still may be nearby- we can't stay here too long."

The others nodded and Erza turned to Lucy. "Which way did you see this city?"

"To the North." The Celestial Mage answered- pointing in the direction that they needed to go. The redhead nodded and started walking. "Keep an eye out."

...FT...

The man took a deep breath as he limped through the woods, blood splattering behind him- leaving a trail. The man let out a little curse as his vision doubled. _Dammit I need to heal already- I know this can't kill me_. "D-dammit." The man cursed as he stopped- leaning against a nearby tree. Looking down at the deep cut on his side- the man cursed once more and placed his hand on his injured side to keep some pressure on the wound as he forced some magic into the deep cut.

Just as he had predicted the spell barely had an effect on him- but he wasn't expecting the blade right after- he had been able to shield Natsu- but he had no defense, his own body was defenseless from attacks... His only priority was to protect Natsu at the time. "That was what you we're after huh?" The man growled- pushing himself off the tree and continued to limp ahead- stepping into the tree line, stopping just beforehand to look back in the direction he came, seeing the trail of blood. "Damn. I'm gonna have to get rid of that." The man said and was about to step back- but stopped.

The man stood silently for a moment- facing the blood trail. "Natsu hasn't come this way- which means that-" The man scowled. "Dammit." Then he turned away. _I can use this._ The man stepped into the thick forest, drawing one of the twin blades- before disappearing into the tree line.

...FT...

Natsu stopped- staring at the pillars jutting up among the trees. There was at least a dozen of them scattered around. The Fire Mage looked at his feet- kicking the grass under his sandals- only finding a small layer of dirt before he hit stone that some grass had grown through, "Ruins?" He asked and looked around.

Lucy was looking closely at one of the pillars As Happy flew around. "We never saw these." The Blue Exceed stated.

"The thick foliage in this area would have hidden all of this from the air." Carla stated as she flew around- looking at the writing carved into the pillars. "I've never seen this kind of language- what is it?" She looked over at Lucy- who seemed to be staring at the words in shock. "Do you know what these are?"

"I-I can't read them- but they are in history books." The Celestial Mage stated. "I would recognize these anywhere- they're over four hundred years old!" She excitedly squeaked. "This is an incredibly rare find. Not too many scriptures still exist with this kind of writing on them. That's why it's so hard to translate." She glared over at the others. "Don't destroy anything here." She looked over at Natsu, "Especially you-" She started, but stopped when she noticed that Natsu was staring at another pillar nearby. "Natsu?"

Natsu frowned silently as letters jumbled together and for a split second the pink haired Fire Mage thought he could see words- then as quickly as it showed up, it was gone. Natsu frowned deeper and shook his head- jumping when he felt someone tap his shoulder.

The pinkette looked back- staring into Lucy's worried brown eyes. "Are you alright Natsu?" The Celestial Mage asked. Natsu looked back at the pillar silently for a minute before nodding quietly and peeking back.

"Yup!" The grin that came along with that single word came naturally and Lucy couldn't help but to smile in return- despite the churning in her stomach. Something was wrong- but she knew that the Dragon Slayer wasn't going to say anything.

"I've been thinking about something." Gray spoke up and looked over. "Well, several things actually. When we woke up here our attackers were gone and we're all alright." He pointed out, "So what did they want?"

Erza silently looked ahead for a moment- pondering that thought, before speaking. "Their goal could have been to bring us here." Erza said. "For all we know there can be something- or someone extremely dangerous here." The Requip Mage spoke up. "Or they could be moving us out of the way."

"Throw us in some weird ass pace while they run off with whatever evil scheme the Dark Mages have in mind? Sounds typical." Gray scowled and looked around. "So, what's the chance some of them are still here to keep an eye on us?"

"I'm not too sure." Erza said and looked around. "They probably left a few around to let them know when or if we are going back." The armored mage said- not at all liking throwing the _if_ in there. "I would say to stay away from them- but we'll need one of them to find out what's going on here- where we are, and how to get back."

"I agree." Carla spoke up. "But there's something different that is bothering me." The White Exceed stated. "When we were attacked the man said something that I find rather odd."

" _Fairy Tail must all be a bunch of weaklings if this is already the third team that I've caught in one day."_

The rest of the team tensed up as they took the words in.

Wendy's looked over as Lucy's eyes widened. "Wait- _third team_?"

"Who else did they get?" The Sky Maiden asked, trying to think back on what teams hadn't been in the guild when they had left the day before.

"The Master was careful not to let too many teams out." Erza stated, thinking to herself. "Can anybody think on what teams were gone?" The redhead asked, "I believe The Thunder God Tribe hadn't returned by the time we were back."

"No, they didn't." Gray said looking over.

"These guys also caught the Thunder God Tribe?" Happy nervously asked- looking over at Natsu- who frowned in silence. Laxus, who was the leader of the group- was an S-Class Wizard and one of the strongest Mages of the guild.

"And ambush." Erza spoke calmly. "Most likely the same thing that they did with us."

Natsu looked over, "You mean the whole couldn't see a damn thing bit?"

Erza nodded and continued examining the ground in front of her. "Exactly."

Natsu scowled and looked away, "Those scumbags- that's low." He scowled and looked back at the pillar- his eyes widening in shock after a moment. "That's right- Gajeel was gone!"

 _Doesn't surprise me that it only took an insult to remind him._ Lucy thought with a sigh- _oh well at least he remembered- wait. If Gajeel went then what about-_ "What about Levy and the Shadowgear team?"

Natsu looked back, "Yeah they went with him."

Lucy peered around the trees- trying to see if she could catch her small blue haired friend. Even though that the chances were low. _So, Levy is here!?_ She thought to herself- she found herself not too worried about the Script Mage- after all she was nearby the Iron Dragon Slayer, he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"That's three teams." Gray said and Erza nodded. The Ice Mage thought back on the Guild Hall before they left. "I don't think Gramps had let out too many other teams yet- and if they are going after the strong Fairy Tail Mages- those two teams are definitely on the watchlist."

Erza nodded then looked over at Natsu. "Are you able to smell any of them?" The Requip Mage asked of Natsu- gaining the pink haired attention.

Natsu sighed and shook his head. "No there's so much weird smells here I'm having a hard time even smelling you guys." The Fire Mage said and jutted his thumb over his shoulder. "The city shouldn't be too far away and yet I can't smell a single sign of a person." He said then looked back over at Lucy.

Erza nodded and started walking. "We'll have to head towards the city- keep an eye, ear, or nose out for them."

The whole team nodded and stood up ready to walk- looking around the forest once more to check and see if any enemies were nearby.

Natsu scanned the forest quickly then peeked over at the Celestial Mage before he looked away from the blonde and back at the pillar- every fiber in his being desperately screaming at him that something was wrong. The pillars- the trees- the smell, everything about this place told the Dragon Slayer that something was horribly wrong- there was so much- that in all honesty the Dragon Slayer had no idea where to start even if he did speak up.

The Fire Mage's fists clenched as he looked around- spotting a gap in the canopy above the group. The Pink Haired Fire Mage stared at the sky with a small frown on his face as his eyes studied the sky before turning to the others. "Hold up a second. I'm gonna go up and get a look." Natsu said.

Erza peeked over, nodding- aware that the Dragon Slayer's eyesight could be of use. "Very well- let us know how far off from the city we are and if you see anything- or anyone- else." The requip Mage ordered (also aware of the fact that he would go and look either with or without her permission first chance that he'd get.) and the pinkette nodded and started running ahead.

"Come on Happy!"

"Aye sir!" The Blue Exceed yelled as he quickly summoned his wings- flying up in the air before swooping down and grabbing Natsu- lifting him up into the air with ease and the two of them shot up- the Fire Mage easily trusting his friend not to crash into anything as the wind rushed past his face.

A burst later the two Fairy Tail Mages burst above the treetops and Natsu's eyes widened as he stared at the city bustling with life on the outside of the forest with tall walls and watchtowers all over the place. The rampart surrounded the entire city pushing it into the cliff walls- making it look like a never-ending castle being built from the cliff walls. From where the two of them were, they could see the streets filled with people- as they wandered through the cobblestone streets.

 _I've been all over the place since I joined the guild- none of the towns or the cities are like this._ The Fire Mage could only stare, taking in the scene- looking at how the buildings were built- how the tanned city that almost shown gold when the sun hit the city. The two of them merely hovered in place- staring at the city that neither of them had ever seen before.

Yet, somehow, it was familiar to Natsu- The Fire Mage stared. _No- I have seen this place before- but where?_ The pinkette took a deep breath- looking around only to find himself staring back at the city which was so foreign and yet so familiar at the same time, like a stranger from another lifetime.

"Where the hell are we?"

 **.**

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 **...FT...**

 **And here's chapter five!**

 **Feel free to review!**

 **No flames plz!**

' **Til next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's Chapter six!**

 **Sorry for the long wait- I was hoping to get this chapter out way sooner but this last month has been one nightmare after another.**

 **The only good news from this month is that I finally finished my own actual book- I'm on the last part of the publishing process now!**

 **Anyway- from here on out I hope to be able to get these chapters out sooner I really do miss our crazy Fairy Tail Mages. =(**

 **As long as this month is better than last month then hopefully I can!**

 **Thank you all for your patience- trust me I also find it annoying not just being able to sit down and relax working on this- but hey- that's life right? (Insert eye roll here)**

 **Thanks for the reviews from-**

 **-Snowflake**

 **-Iris Patton**

 **-Deboo**

 **-Enjali**

 **I'm glad you all liked it!**

 **Feel free to review- but no flames plz!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **I do not own Fairy Tail- all rights go to Hiro Mashima**

...FT...

Evergreen sighed as she waved her fan in front of her face. "Where in the world are we?" The Fairy asked- looking around the canyon they had woke up in. "I know it's been hot out lately- but not nearly this hot." She whined as she looked around- glancing up to the tall cliffs on either side of them.

Freed walked a little ahead of the group- stopping and turning back. "And we weren't anywhere near a canyon earlier." The Script Mage spoke. Looking back around the canyon. "Wherever we are we've been moved quite some ways."

"I'm wondering where that jerk from earlier went!" Bickslow called out- his babies copying him in obvious agitation. "They sneak attack us and leave us out in the middle of nowhere-"

Then there was a bright flash of light and the three of them jumped looking around. Laxus frowned- looking up from where he was sitting- silently watching the sky as Bickslow spoke up. "That's the second time that has happened since we got here." He said and looked around.

Evergreen looked over at Laxus- the Fairy clearly confused and worried about what was happening. "Laxus- what happened back there?" She asked- looking back to the sneak attack that they had fallen victim to an unknowable amount of time ago.

Laxus scowled as he sat back- frowning at the cliff side in front of him. "That's what I'm trying to figure out myself." The Second Generation Lightning Dragon Slayer replied, glaring at the canyon wall looming above from them, the sun just starting to peek over the top of the cliff and Laxus was forced to cover his eyes.

...FT...

Nine Hours Earlier...

Team Thunder God Tribe looked around another part of the town up mountain side- or maybe it was still a part of the same wreckage from before- they had moved too far to be able to tell. Laxus looked over at Freed, "Was this also from the train crash?"

"Looks like it." Picking up a piece of cloth that looked suspiciously like the curtain in the higher class cars. The Mage looked around, "This is an incredible amount of damage."

"It's not like we know how it even got out here in the first place." Evergreen piped up, "Shouldn't we be focusing on that?" She asked looking over at Laxus.

Behind her Freed spoke once more. "True. But there's no sign of any magic energy around." Freed explained, "It's almost as if there was never any magic involved, it disappeared so quickly." The Script Mage said. "Tracking it is next to impossible."

"How could magic disappear that fast?" Evergreen demanded.

Laxus frowned quietly for a moment then looked up as Bickslow spoke up. "There's something going on- a disturbance on this scale should have been noticed by a nearby town or something." Bickslow pointed out and looked around. "But nobody has come up this way."

"Maybe we're just out of view."

"Even if we were the smoke would still attract some attention." Freed spoke up looking over at Evergreen. "I agree- there is definitely something going on here- I think that it would be best if we head back to the Guild and let the Master know what we found here." The Script Mage said.

Laxus nodded and stood up. "Then let's head out. The sooner we get back the better." The Lightning Dragon Slayer spoke as he turned around-

Then everything turned pitch black.

Laxus froze where he stood as his eyes tried to scan the sudden darkness that enveloped them. Behind him Evergreen spoke up, "Why did it go dark all of a sudden?"

"Last time I checked lights don't turn off outside." Bickslow stated and Laxus could hear his clothing as the Mage looked around.

"Everybody stand back to back." Laxus ordered and each of the team moved until they could feel somebody's back against their own- standing in ready to fight positions as their eyes and ears scanned the darkness.

Behind him Freed quietly spoke. "Do you think the enemy is still nearby?"

"Yeah- so keep a lookout-" Then something struck the two of them and the two Fairy Tail Mages were thrown- each one of them crashing hard into the ground.

Laxus let out a little curse as he quickly got to his feet- only to be kicked once more- flying forward and crashing into what he assumed to be a tree- judging by the texture. "Everyone drop to the ground!" Laxus yelled and quickly turned- still hearing the footsteps coming at him from behind. He sucked in air, "Lightning Dragon's Roar!" He yelled and attacked- hesitating for a moment when he didn't actually see the attack.

He could feel the magic- however he couldn't see the spell- despite lightning being a light based attack that should've at least light things up just a little- but they were left with nothing more but endless darkness.

Then Laxus was struck again- a large fist colliding into his ribcage and throwing him back once more. _How far does this darkness go? They keep throwing me around but there's no sign of any light._ The Lightning Dragon Slayer thought to himself before he was struck once more- throwing him back once more and into what he assumed to be a tree. "Dammit." He growled and looked around the darkness as he was struck once more.

"Not so tough any more are you, Fairy?" A deep voice taunted as the Dragon Slayer was struck once more

"Laxus!" Evergreen yelled, letting out a yelp as she was struck.

"Never mind me!" Laxus yelled back. "Just fight back!" The Lightning Dragon Slayer yelled as he whirled around- his powerful punch colliding into an unseen opponents face.

The Lightning Dragon Slayer heard the satisfying grunt as the attacker crashed into the ground far enough away from him.

 _Behind me!_ The Dragon Slayer swung his fist back- missing whoever was behind him by inches and just a moment later he felt himself being thrown several yards- where he landed harshly on the dirt.

"And to think that we came this way and it's not even the ones we're looking for." A familiar voice growled and Laxus's eyes widened in shock as he pushed himself to his feet- glaring back at where the voice came from.

"It doesn't matter." A voice of a young girl spoke.

Evergreen tensed up from where she was lying. _A child?_ She looked over- still not seeing anything, not that she needed to- the amount of magical energy coming from that direction was incredible.

"This power." Freed whispered- hearing someone's footsteps directly in front of him.

A third voice spoke up- again the other's voice was quite recognizable. "Aia is correct." The man spoke. "Our job is to take as many of them as we can. Even if we cannot get ahold of Dragneel we'll get him when their forces are weak."

 _So, these guys are after Natsu?_ Freed realized- he didn't know anybody else with the last name Dragneel after all. "You people are after Natsu?" The script Mage snapped- looking at where he heard the voice just a moment before.

There was a moment of silence before the little girl giggled. "Idiots. Did you forget that they can still hear us? I can block their sight. Not their hearing." Her voice rang.

 _So, it's the kid's doing._ Bickslow frowned. _I don't really like picking on kids- but we need to get back to the guild and warn them- looks like there are more psychos after Natsu._

"So I was right- it wasn't over." Laxus growled. "Are you people the ones involved with those so-called Games?"

The little girl giggled. "We might have had a small part to do with it." Her voice taunted.

"Not that it matters." The third voice growled. "You're all going to fall soon enough." Laxus's eyes widened as he felt a huge amount of magical energy explode from seemingly nowhere. The Dragon Slayer immediately turned in its direction.

And there was a bright flash of light.

...FT...

Makarov frowned as he looked up at the Guild Hall doors- a twisting- painful gut feeling suddenly striking his stomach. The old man scowled as he took an uninterested drink- his eyes scanning around the guild.

Team Natsu was still gone- them getting into trouble would be the most likely situation- they seemed to have the talent for getting into trouble.

Team Shadowgear- along with Gajeel and Pantherlily (although the Master just pretty much considered him as a part of the team- since he was always with the petite bluenette all the time anyways.) were also gone. They were least likely to get into trouble- although Gajeel was with them so that would raise their chances of it.

The last team to be missing was the first team to leave- and they still hadn't returned. The Master turned to the bartender next to him. "Mira? Has there been any word from Laxus's team?"

The white haired S-Class Mage looked over at the Master. "No not yet." She said and looked over at the entrance to the Guild Hall. "Do you think that something might have happened to them?" She asked the Master worryingly.

The Master frowned as he looked over at the Take-Over Mage. "Now we can't jump to conclusions. See if you can get in contact with them." He told the pretty white-haired bartender, who nodded quickly and rushed off. Then the Fairy Tail Guild Master looked back at the Guild Hall doors.

 _Was it too soon to start sending out teams?_ The Master frowned. _Of course it was- I'm such a fool._ He cursed silently to himself. Up until now he had been keeping a careful eye out.

 _I knew I had a bad feeling about all this._

...FT...

Freed shot up as he felt someone shaking his shoulders- immediately looking at Laxus who was kneeling down next to him. "Laxus- where are we?"

"Beats me. Some canyon." The Lightning Dragon Slayer stood up and Freed quickly followed, brushing himself off as he looked around. They were indeed in a canyon- Freed frowned, they had been in a forest when they were attacked- and he didn't know of any canyons nearby.

"This is quite peculiar." Freed mumbled as the green-haired Mage looked around- how long were we out for?"

"No idea." Bickslow called over from the rock that he was sitting on- looking rather bored. "When we woke up the attackers were gone- and their scents as well."

"Even their scents?"

Laxus frowned. "It's not like they faded or anything- it's more like the scents were never here in the first place." The S-Class Mage said as he looked around. "This place hasn't been touched in a while."

"Then how in the world did we get here?" Evergreen called out.

"Some teleportation spell?" Bickslow spoke up- looking around at their unknown scenery surrounding the four of them.

Laxus frowned and looked up at the clear sky above them. "Now that all of us are awake we can get out of here." He said.

Freed stood up. "Laxus-san, I'll go up first to scout." He said as he created his wings. Laxus nodded and Freed took off- flying towards the sky.

As the green haired Mage flew towards the sky- something caught his eye above- it almost looked like glass. Immediately the Script Mage slowed down- just in case if he was about to bump into something. Except, instead of crashing the Fairy Tail Mage passed through and he frowned. "That was easy."

Then his body felt as if it were on fire. "Freed!" He heard Evergreen's scream as his magic was burned away and he fell back towards the canyon floor- being caught about twenty yards down by the scruff of his jacket- courtesy of Bickslow.

"What was that?" Bickslow yelled down at him.

Freed looked at his hands- which were slightly singed. "A barrier? Was that lightning?"

"Looked more like fire to me. A weird fire though." Bickslow scowled. Dropping Freed off on the safe spot. And turning to Laxus, "Looks like there's a barrier over this canyon."

"These days nothing really surprises me anymore." Laxus said with a sigh- looking around once more. "Are you ok Freed."

"I am." Freed answered then looked back at the sky. "But why is there a barrier over this canon- I didn't see any runes." Freed said as he stood back on his own feet.

"Maybe it was the attackers trapping us in." Evergreen pointed out.

Laxus scowled at that thought- but it did make sense- trap them in a huge canyon. _But why? They did say something about weakening our forces._ He scowled. _Their goal must be to trap as many powerful Fairy Tail Mages as they can so then they can get to Natsu._ "We need to get moving- we know nothing of this place and we're sitting ducks down here." The Lightning Dragon Slayer called back.

The rest of the team nodded and quickly got ready to follow. "Keep an eye out for enemies."

"Gotcha."

The group of four wandered through the bottom of the canyon- not really going anywhere. Laxus scowled in annoyance. There were no many weird smells here- none of them made any sense. The Lightning Dragon Slayer looked around the canyon- which looked relatively the same from where they had started- telling him nothing about their general location. "Dammit." He mumbled and continued walking- eyes scanning the tops of the cliffs far above them for any signs of enemies- or honestly, anything to tell him where the hell he was.

Frees growled as he looked at the rocks that they were passing by. "Laxus-san, these rocks are wet." The Script Mage stated.

Evergreen peeked over. "He's right." The Fairy mumbled- looking over at Laxus. "But it's so hot out- how is that even possible?"

"That might explain a few things."

The other three looked back at where Bickslow was pointing- seeing the wall of water coming their way. Do you think that happens often?" He asked.

"Get to higher ground- but remember to be wary of that barrier!" Laxus yelled and the others moved- flying into the air immediately- landing on a small ledge about twenty yards up. Freed looked up- still seeing the familiar glare of the barrier over the canyon.

"What is that?" Evergreen called out- pointing to the water far below them.

The other's looked down- frowning as the water stared to rise- and what looked like a large fish with legs rose from the deep waters- it's sharp teeth baring at them. "I know a certain cat that would be really happy about this right now." Bickslow said with a sigh.

"And a stupid Fire Mage as well." Laxus groaned.

"I'm not too happy about those sharp teeth." Evergreen called out.

Freed looked back up at the barrier. "This explains why that barrier is there. This thing is large enough it can just climb out of here." The Script Mage noticed looking down at the large fish as it lifted up one of its legs-to swipe at them.

"Those legs are definitely not for swimming." Bickslow stated as the four of them dodged the large attack- looking back at the torn up cliff side.

"The fact that there's a barrier over this place means that there's a village or something nearby that needs to be protected from this creature." Freed called over to Laxus.

The Lightning Dragon Slayer nodded. "That village or whatever just might be our ticket out of here. We need to beat this thing and get out of this damn canyon." Laxus stood up- clenching his fish as lightning swirled around his body.

Bickslow laughed, "Well one of those is gonna be really easy." He said and they were right- one attack from the _Lightning_ Dragon Slayer hitting the fish in _water_ took care of it with no problem.

Laxus sighed and turned away. "Now then-" The wind brushed past the Thunder Legion and Laxus froze for a moment, then he frowned as his head snapped up- a deep scowl on his face. "Dammit."

Evergreen frowned and stood up. "What's wrong?"

"I just caught a familiar scent."

"Shouldn't that be a good thing?" Bickslow asked as he looked up. "Or is it-"

"It's Natsu."

"Natsu!" Evergreen looked around, "Expecting to see his pink head pop out at any time. He's nearby?" She asked, "But this isn't anywhere near the guild hall!"

"Is he alone?" Freed asked.

"No looks like he has his own team with him." Laxus answered.

"Well that's good- he's at least protected." Evergreen stated.

"Not quite." Bickslow said as he stood up. "If they're here then that means that they were also ambushed." He sighed and looked over at Laxus. "Right?"

"Exactly. And those guys might still be close- especially if their target is Natsu." Laxus spoke, looking up to the top of the cliff over them. "The only problem is that while we're in the bottom of the canyon- they are way up top." He sighed and looked up to the top of the canyon. "Let's get out of this damn place.

...FT...

The man let out a curse as he finished tying his bandage. Standing up and looking from the tree branch he had been sitting on around once he was done. As soon as he spotted the city the man let out a scowl. "If they think that they're being funny all they are succeeding in doing is pissing me off." He growled as he took in the familiar sight- his eyes wincing in pain. He quickly shook his head as he looked around- trying to recognize the rest of his scenery.

 _Damn- they did a good job. Even the smells are spot on._ He thought- a small growl escaping his throat. "Damn them." He sighed and hopped over to the next branch- pushing the pain in his side to the back of his mind as he moved from branch to branch.

 _I need to find a way out of here- and I need to get Natsu and his guild out too, without them noticing me._ "Yeah this is pissing me off." He growled and stopped when he heard the snap of a branch behind him.

Immediately the man peeked back at the newcomer- his eyes narrowing as he glared back at the grinning man. "Well- well, what's this?" The newcomer laughed. "I've only been here for about an hour and I've already found my first catch- and lucky me, It's a Dragneel too." The man grinned up at the injured man in the tree. "Koroku Dragneel, I assume?"

"You assume?" Koroku smirked. "My kids still look younger than me believe it or not." He said as he turned back. "Let me guess? You people are behind this trick?"

The man gestured his hand to the surrounding scenery. "Do you like it?" He laughed, "I find this place most fitting to end your cursed bloodline."

Koroku frowned. "You were way less cheery last time. You're much more annoying now brat." He growled as he drew his twin blades.

The man caught sight of the white bandages on Koroku and he grinned. "So he was telling the truth. You are injured." The man laughed- pulling the chains from his side. "Too bad for you- I could still beat you even in top shape."

"Is that so?" Koroku chuckled- then held his blades forward, his face darkening. "Then quit your yapping and start fighting."

Immediately the attacker was before him and Koroku dropped from the tree branch to dodge his first strike- landing safely on his feet below and looking up just in time as the man landed in front of him and attacked with the sickle on the end of his chain- Koroku barely dodging out of the way only for the chain to wrap around his arm- pulling him forward.

Koroku let out a curse as he was dragged forward, watching the sickle aim to stab deep into his chest- he quickly twisted his body to the side- using one of his twin blades to flick the weapon to the side. Then he shoved the man back and grabbed the chain wrapped around his arm- yanking it to the side- succeeding in throwing the man to the side- where Koroku was able to quickly free his arm- stabbing one of his twin swords through one of the chain links.

The attacker looked up- pulling on the chain and his eyes widened as he realized what Koroku had done- eyes widening even more as the black haired man appeared before him, eyes glowing dangerously red as he held up his blade for a slash. "You're still four hundred years behind to be taking me on brat." He growled and swung his arm.

The attacker managed to throw himself to the side in time- forsaking his weapon as he did so to dodge the blow- shock filling his body as not only the tree behind him was cut clean through with no difficulties- but as far as the eye could see the trees were clear cut as if the blade were miles long.

Koroku stepped back- red eyes glaring down at the man as the air twisted menacingly around him. "Did you really think that because of this little scratch that you stood a chance against me?" He growled. "Even if I somehow lost both of my legs you would still never be able to beat me brat.

The attacker smirked as he stood up. "You're right- I might have misjudged you a little- looks like you're going to be just as hard to kill as your older son."

This time it was Koroku's turn to smirk. "Him?" He laughed as he turned. "Oh no. Don't be a fool- I'm going to be much harder to kill." He walked forward, sword held out. "But now that I know that you're with _those_ people, I know what I have to do with you." He raised his sword once more- his eyes glowing dangerously.

The attacker smirked. "Do you really think that I'll fall for the same trick twice?" He yelled- fire encircling his body- I'll burn you until there is nothing left!" He laughed, "Then I'll be going after your-" He stopped, seeing the plants start to fold in and die around them- a bird dropped from the sky above them.

He looked into Koroku's red eyes- and shivered.

Those eyes-

That grin-

The attacker took a step back- still not able to look away from the monster approaching him. He quickly drew a knife from his coat- only to freeze up as he stared directly into those red eyes glaring down at him.

Koroku stalked forward- a smile on his face, but his eyes were murderous.

That was not the look of a sane man-

And his entire body shook as he realized what it was. "Damn." The attacker cursed, stepping back and sheathing his knife. "Looks like I'll have to deal with you later." The attacker grinned. "See you later Dragneel." He said, then vanished in midair.

A moment later a black wave went out- killing everything that it touched with in at least twenty feet of the man, hushing the entire forest around him. A silent breeze flew through the trees and a moment later the dead leaves fell from the trees and the man frowned. "Damn, he got away." He growled and looked around.

"I should get out of here." He mumbled and ran back to where his second twin blade was- pulling it from the ground and freeing the chain as he bolted from sight.

...FT...

Lucy let out a yelp at the explosion screamed behind them- the wind coming from that harshly shoved the group forward- almost making them fall on their faces. Lucy shoved her blonde hair out of her face and steadied herself on her feet and she whirled around. "What was that?" She cried out.

Wendy next to her held Carla tightly, the white Exceed's eyes widening as an entire mountainside of forest was clear-cut in an instant. _What incredible power!_

"The hell?" Gray stepped forward watching the now cleared mountainside. "Was that an enemy?"

"I hope not." Lucy squeaked.

Natsu frowned as he watched the destroyed trees about a mile behind them. For a second there he could have sworn he saw a mirage of a sword cutting those trees. "Should we go check it out?" Gray asked.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Lucy whined. "Whoever that was is really powerful." She said pointing at the downed trees.

"We're going to have to take them on sometime anyways." Happy pointed out flying up next to the Fire Mage- looking back at his best friend, "Right Natsu- Natsu?"

The rest of the group took notice of their pink-haired friend, who stood frozen- staring at the forest about a mile away from. Erza frowned, not liking the fact that he looked pale. "Natsu- what's the matter?"

Natsu could only stare- he had no idea how to explain the gut feeling he had. He knew that something was about to happen. The only problem was he couldn't tell whether it was good or bad.

"Better idea." Gray snapped, "Anything that's got our crazy fight picking, Flamebrain frozen- is something we are not approaching." He growled- grabbing the Fire Mage's arm and pulled him away. A small _Not yet-_ whispering in his mind. He looked back at the red-headed Requip Mage- who nodded in understanding. "We need to get to that city, right?"

Erza nodded. "The sooner or better." She said peeking back at the destroyed forest behind them. "Let's get moving." She ordered and started walking ahead of the group- peeking back at Natsu once more.

Gray peeked over at the Fire Mage. "Come on Flamebrain." He shoved the other Mage forward. Natsu let out a small growl as he peeked back at Gray. "Just keep moving Flamebrain."

Natsu frowned- but looked ahead and started walking forward once more, peeking back at the forest behind them before moving ahead to walk with Happy and Lucy.

Lucy nodded then looked over at Natsu as he stepped up next to the Celestial Mage. The Fire Mage grinned over at her as he noticed her looking his direction. Lucy smiled softly, quickly holding onto Happy. She was worried, after all- something that could make Natsu freeze up- truly had to be something terrifying.

A breeze rushed past them and Lucy looked back, a small gasp escaping her lips as her eyes widened in shock and horror. "Hey guys?"

The other's peeked back and looks of shock/ horror crossed their faces as they watched the forest next to the destroyed trees get caught up in a twenty-foot radius of swirling black smoke and Natsu shivered as he watched the trees within the smoke quickly die off.

 _I've seen that before._

The group stood in silence for a moment before the white Exceed in Wendy's arms broke the silence. "I would believe that whatever that is was our cue to leave." Carla spoke up- not liking that magic. It was evil.

Wendy shivered at the dark magic swirling like a slow tornado before fading- she clutched Carla tightly as her little knees shook- her face going pale. "That magic- I've never felt anything so dark." The little girl whimpered.

Erza nodded and looked back to the others. "Let's go." Erza ordered- urging the others to move ahead. No matter how curious she was of what had happened in that area she knew that Gray was right- whatever- whoever that was had to be incredibly powerful- and one of their own was in no shape to fight yet.

She looked back at the destroyed mountain behind them. _If that truly is an enemy- getting back home is going to be even more dangerous than ever._ Erza looked ahead.

Because Wendy had spoken her thought's exactly. Not even Hades's magic had been that dark and powerful.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **...FT...**

 **Sorry that was a bit short- there's been a lot of crap going on this month- I really wanted to get a chapter out tho.**

 **So here we go!**

 **Hopefully things are going to start speeding up soon!**

 **I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Feel free to review!**

 **But No Flames plz!**

' **Til next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yay I am back! Sorry for the long wait I had the quarter from hell followed by the best Vacation ever! Unfortunately, though- that vaca kept me away from the internet. =(**

 **Good news is that I am planning on having the next chapter after this one out very soon! Or as soon as I can!**

 **Thanks for the reviews and patience from-**

 **-Asuna11**

 **-Pyun**

 **-Deboo**

 **-Enjali**

 **-Guest**

 **-Guest**

 **Plz keep the reviews coming! And thank you so much for your patience!**

 **I Hope you enjoy!**

 **...FT...**

 **Story so far...**

 _Sometime after Games Natsu has somewhat recovered from the events during the Games and his team takes a job nearby thinking that it will be an easy start back into the working life._

 _On the way back to the guild, Team Natsu is attacked when everything goes pitch black- after some man tried to kill Natsu and some unknown man (Koroku) shields him Team Natsu wakes up in some unknown forest. (Koroku is now gone)_

 _Back at the Guild Hall, Team Natsu, The Thunder Legion, and team Shadowgear (plus Gajeel and Pantherlily) are all missing._

 _The Unknown Man in the white robes seems to know what is going on- and it has something to do with Natsu- what could he be after?_

...FT...

 **Last Chapter**

 _A breeze rushed past them and Lucy looked back, a small gasp escaping her lips as her eyes widened in shock and horror. "Hey guys?"_

 _The other's peeked back and looks of shock/ horror crossed their faces as they watched the forest next to the destroyed trees get caught up in a twenty-foot radius of swirling black smoke and Natsu shivered as he watched the trees within the smoke quickly die off._

 _I've seen that before._

 _The group stood in silence for a moment before the white Exceed in Wendy's arms broke the silence. "I would believe that whatever that is was our cue to leave." Carla spoke up- not liking that magic. It was evil._

 _Wendy shivered at the dark magic swirling like a slow tornado before fading- she clutched Carla tightly as her little knees shook- her face going pale. "That magic- I've never felt anything so dark." The little girl whimpered._

 _Erza nodded and looked back to the others. "Let's go." Erza ordered- urging the others to move ahead. No matter how curious she was of what had happened in that area she knew that Gray was right- whatever- whoever that was had to be incredibly powerful- and one of their own was in nor shape to fight yet._

 _She looked back at the destroyed mountain behind them. If that truly is an enemy- getting back home is going to be even more dangerous than ever. Erza looked ahead._

 _Because Wendy had spoken her thoughts exactly. Not even Hades's magic had been that dark and powerful._

...FT...

 **Present**

The man let out a curse as he looked around. "Damn idiot." He growled as he stepped on the log- easily hopping over the log to continue his travels. Listening for any sign of what she was looking for- but getting nothing but silence. The man knelt down- eyeing the ground in front of him, where he was just barely able to make out a footprint and he cursed. "So, you were in that area." He scowled and stood back up- looking around. "Damn idiot just had to disappear the one goddamn time I look away."

He growled and continued looking around, half expecting the guy to pop out of the trees and grumble about not needing a stalker. "Typical Dragneel- his kids must be a nightmare." He growled as he walked forward. "Hey idiot!" He yelled- his frustration quickly growing as he walked forward, glaring through the trees as he did so.

The man halted in his tracks as he heard a voice ahead of him, "Somebody's over their-"

"The hell are you talking about?" A second person asked, and the man let out a curse- ducking down- watching the people ahead of him. There were at least ten people ahead of him- and judging by the feel- they were all Mages, luckily for him it seemed that the majority of them hadn't heard his yell earlier.

The man scowled as he snuck forward- getting a better look at the Mages. "I can never catch a break, can I?" He muttered as he crouched down once more- this time hiding behind a bush as he watched the group of men walking through the trees- getting a good look at who they were.

 _It's those guys again..._ The smoker realized with a scowl.

One of the Mages let out a laugh. "I wonder how many other groups that idiot guild will send out?" He asked with a sound that almost sounded like a badger.

The smoker frowned, moving silently and quickly hid behind a tree- nearer to them, but still staying out of their sight. _Looks like the old man's warning didn't quite cut it_. He thought with a scowl, watching the group make their way through the trees. _Now what are these guys up to?_

Someone in the front of the group peeked back to the badger sounding man. "It doesn't matter. We caught the one we were after." A deeper voice spoke. "Who knew that he would be taking a job so soon?" The man's voice said with a chuckle and the smoker frowned.

 _That can't be good- not too many guilds these days this kind of Dark Guild mess with._ The smoker reasoned. _And with everything going on these days, it's safe to say that I know who they are talking about._

The man up front shifted and the smoker's eyes widened as he saw the object in the lead's hand. "No way-" He muttered. Double checking to make sure. He let out a small curse as he backed away a little- keeping low as to stay out of their sight. "Dammit Koroku." He growled- eyeing a palm sized grey orb in the Mage's hand.

The smoker focused on the orb and he was able to faintly pick up several different magical energies. _To think that these bastards have that kind of power!_ He cursed as he recognized his own teammates. "So, they were able to nab you too? Seriously you people are a magnet for trouble."

"Our plan is simple." The man with the deep voice spoke up, and the smoker listened in. "We will rid those fools of this world- make them regret their decision."

 _Sounds simple enough- although you're missing a few details._ The smoker scowled as he shifted, checking his arsenal. _Good to go._

"And what of the ones that we caught?" One of the weaker members spoke up and the smoker looked back. _Ones, huh? So how many people did you guys grab anyways_?

The leader grinned at the orb in his hand, and the smoker tensed up. _Don't you dare._ "That's right. Whatever should we do? Such a difficult decision. So many lives in the palm of my hand- and to think that I only have to break it." The leader said as he seemed to ponder over it- even though the smoker was already sure he knew what he wanted to do.

One of the men snickered. "There's two Dragneel's in there as well." He pointed out and the smoker scowled.

 _Dammit- two? Doubt it's the older one. So, they got the kid as well?_ The Smoker shifted forward- "We're so close."

The leader nodded and looked up, seemingly had made up his mind. "I'll think I'll have them all watch in despair as so many of their own are slaughtered helpless-"

A gunshot as a blur of movement later the leader stumbled back. "What was-" He looked at the orb in his hand and realized that is was gone. "Where did it?" He turned, and his eyes widened at the man standing behind them, casually tossing and catching the orb in his hand as he looked back at them- a clearly bored expression on his face.

"You're-"

"And you're as slow as ever- to think that after all these years you haven't changed a bit." The smoker sighed as he turned to face them. "Sorry- but, it's my job to keep an eye on the idiot- and his kid. I'm not just gonna stand around and let you do away with them." A gun appeared in his free hand and he raised it up. "Let's just say that I'm a little tired of your bull."

The leader snarled at the man before him- who didn't even flinch at the leader's glare. "And let me guess." The smoker continued. "You're planning on attacking the Fairy Tail guild, aren't you?" He asked, "After all- a man of your status wouldn't bother with any of the weaker main guilds." He held up the orb. "And not to mention that you have a few of them in your possession." The smoker smirked. "I practically caught you red handed."

The man raised an eyebrow. "And what if I do?" He demanded- watching the smoker for any reaction. "It's not like you people to give a damn about things that don't help yourself. So then, why would you people care? Last time I checked your only priority is-"

"There's a lot of Mages in that guild that we need believe it or not." The smoker cut in, starting to get a little annoyed- _this has been too damn long of a day._ "Now how about you undo this spell and go on your merry way. I can promise you I am not in a good mood right now."

"Neither am I you fool." The Leader snarled, "Nor am I as weak as you seem to remember me as." He turned to one of the men next to him. "Kill him- but bring that orb back to me unharmed." He ordered.

The smoker smirked, "Not as weak eh? Then pray tell me why you're having one of your grunts fight me." He gestured to the man stepping up. "You know he won't last a minute against me."

This time the Leader smirked. "I have far too many things to prepare for to worry about one of his grunts- besides, this man here has been looking for quite some time now."

The said man smiled as he stepped forward- cracking his knuckles and the smoker had to resist rolling his eyes at the man. "Lucky me. I get to kill a legend." He snickered. "Today must be my lucky day." He spoke as he stalked forward, coming within a clear range.

The smoker's eyes narrowed, as the man's magic aura seemed to radiate off him. _This feeling- it could only mean._ His eyes widened as the man took in a deep breath. "Thought so."

 _Some kind of a Slayer-_

"Sound Devil's Rage!" The man yelled, and a pulse of sound came out.

The smoker cursed as he jumped to the side- the sheer loudness of the attack making the smoker flinch as he landed farther away, sliding back a bit- looking up in time as the lanky man appeared in front of him. Faster than lightning the smoker flipped up the gun and fired three times- moving to the side as he did so.

"Devil Slayer Magic?" He scowled, "That explains a lot." He said as he watched the Slayer move around and he was able to move out of the way of another attack. "Damn." He cursed as he looked up just in time to see another attack and dodge. _Slayer type Magic is always a pain in the ass to deal with._

The smoker's eyes glanced over at the leader of the Mages and scowled. Then he looked at the orb in his hand before looking up in time to dodge another attack from the lanky man- his fist missing him by inches, another pulse ringing out.

The smoker slid to the side once more and glared up at his opponent as the man laughed. "No point in trying to escape." The lanky man snickered, "Even if you do run I will be able to hear you. We're not gonna let you get away." The man spoke as he stalked forward. "Well actually- I might just let you run. If- and only if- you leave that orb right there. I'll give you a ten second head start. Sound fair?"

The smoker looked around- eyeing his surroundings. _I'm fighting sound- not much to work with here. That'll have to do-_ The smoker nodded to himself quietly, standing up and sighing once more- a frown of pure boredom on his face. "Now, you see? That's the problem with you type of people."

His opponent frowned, and he stopped walking- eyeing the man and the area around him for any traps- he listened to the man's heartbeat and took a step back. It was calm- to calm, like a hunter about to strike. "The hell are you talking about old man-" He stopped- his eyes widening as he let out a curse and jumped back.

Except the smoker appeared in front of him- both of his guns next to his enemy's ears- pointing to the air behind him. "Listen well brat- that kind of trick won't work on me." He glared into the lanky man's eyes. "Even if you can hear my very thoughts themselves- it won't mean a thing if you can't move fast enough to protect yourself."

The man's eyes widened, his body tensing up- about to jump back.

And in a fraction of a second, the smoker fired- the lanky man letting out a howl of pain as his eardrums seemed to explode from the sound on the gunshots barely an inch away from his ears and he fell to the ground- howling in pain and holding his now bleeding ears.

The smoker watched the man for a moment before one of the guns vanished into mid-air, and he pulled the orb out of his pocket- checking on it. _Still there- and still unharmed._ "Even a normal person would be in agony with a gunshot so close to their ears." The smoker spoke- peeking down at the man without a trace of sympathy in his eyes. "While it can be useful to hear even the slightest of a heart beat a mile away there is a major downfall as well. Something that your type of people seems to be forgetting all too often."

He turned and looked back at where the Leader was still standing. "Who you gonna send in now?" He snickered as he put the orb back in his pocket and held up the gun with his other hand. "Bring it on- with a day like this, I could really use a good warm up."

The leader scowled, "So this is war." He said, and smoke started to appear around them- as the smoker watched the dark guild members seemed to fade from view- the leader himself being last.

"Oh, you have no idea." The smoker said as he lowered his gun.

...FT...

At least a day's walk away from the fight between the smoker and the Dark Guild, the Poison Dragon Slayer let out a sneeze. Letting out a soft growl at the annoyance after the fact- and looked around as the others stared at him. "What?"

In front of him the pretty white haired Celestial Mage peeked back. "You alright Cobra?" She asked- despite not sounding all that concerned. "You better not be getting sick on us now." she said in a very distinct mocking tone.

The Dragon Slayer glared up at the Celestial Mage. "Shut up Angel." Cobra growled and frowned even deeper as the young pink haired Mage peeked back. "What?" He snapped once more.

"Maybe someone's talking about you?" She asked, and Cobra rolled his eyes.

"Does it really matter? We're all criminals- of course someone will be talking about us." Cobra said with an annoyed sigh- for once wishing that he couldn't hear everything-

Anything would be better than having to listen to all the others annoying voices thinking of some ridiculous story on why Cobra had sneezed.

"God dammit." Cobra growled, and marched ahead.

 _This is going to be a long damn day._ Cobra scowled in annoyance.

Behind him Jellal frowned silently- the bluenette looking up at the cloudless sky, a bad feeling stirring in his gut. _Something is about to happen- soon._

...FT...

Natsu let out a small growl- glaring up at the sky above him as they walked, which was void of any clouds- not giving him much to look at. _We haven't even been here a day and I already hate this place._ The Fire Mage thought with a growl- not noticing the Ice Mage peeked over.

Gray peeked back once more- watching as Natsu stared aimlessly up at the sky as he walked. Almost impressed that he hadn't fallen yet- almost, not quite. "Oi Flamebrain, you okay?" The Ice Mage snapped- sounding irritated- but still worried for the pink- haired Fire Mage, who had been acting off since the moment that they had arrived. He looked up at the sky above them- trying to catch a glimpse of whatever the Dragon Slayer was looking at, finding nothing- he frowned before looking back at the Fire Mage.

"Great." Natsu scowled- his tone full of sarcasm as he walked- his eyes peeling from the sky to looking at the forest around them once more. "It's just that I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched." The Fire Mage spoke- keeping his voice quiet as if someone was listening in and looking back at the Ice Mage once more. "I've been feeling it since we've arrived."

Erza peeked back at the Dragon Slayer, looking at the trees around them before calling back to the pinkette. "Does it seem like it's coming from a specific direction?" The Requip Mage asked- earning a shrug from the pinkette.

"Not really- it's just there." Natsu mumbled and Erza nodded.

The redhead looked ahead once more- _So I'm not the only one._

Lucy frowned as she noticed something off- immediately stopping in her tracks. "What was that?" She asked- catching the groups attention. However, she was a bit more preoccupied with the odd feeling under her feet. Like a vibration.

"What's up Luce?" Natsu asked- then the group jumped as thunder clapped overhead and the ground pitched at their feet, throwing the group off their feet and hard onto the ground.

Wendy let out a small shriek and covered her ears as another thunderclap roared to life and the ground pitched once more- barely giving the small girl a chance to grab ahold of her Exceed friend so that she didn't lose her- then the small bluenette rolled over and hugged a tree next to her that despite the ground moving, barely had any effect on it. Over to her left she heard the familiar voice of their Requip Mage order, "Stay down, and hold onto something solid!"

"Like what?" Gray yelled as he looked around- but the pitching ground made it nearly impossible to spot anything clearly. The Ice Mage growled as he tried to move over to a tree- which for some reason only rode the waves, seemingly not about to fall over anytime soon. He attempted to crawl closer- but by the next clap and pitch he was thrown back and farther away- finally (after the third try) his own impatience getting the best of him and he rolled over- the Demon Slayer markings making their way up his arm and he slapped the ground next to him- creating a pillar of the indestructible Ice and held onto his own creation.

Over to his left Natsu tossed Happy to Lucy. (Who let out a yell as she caught the Exceed- holding him close as they were pitched in the air once more.) Natsu let out a curse as he hit the ground hard, then rolled over and grabbed ahold of the Celestial Mage (who was still close by) and pulling her close as she clutched the Blue Exceed in her arms, feeling as Natsu dragged the three of them closer to a tree that he had slammed into a few times before- which seemed to be steady enough to keep them from being pitched in the air.

(At least it hadn't broken when a Dragon Slayer slammed into it on multiple occasions.)

Erza had used one of her countless larger blades- stabbing it deep into the ground and holding on as the ground continued to jolt. The scarlet haired Mage looked around she rode the pitching ground- glad to see that the others had grabbed ahold of something solid- or at least solid enough to keep themselves from being thrown into the air.

 _What is going on? This is no normal earthquake._ Erza glared up at the sky as another burst of thunder swept through- signaling another pitch in the ground and the scarlet haired Mage gripped her sword a bit tighter to keep herself from being pitched in the air.

Then as suddenly as it started it stopped. Leaving the area eerily silent and still. "Stay where you are." Erza ordered- watching as the others looked up from their holds and after a moment the Requip Mage took the risk and stood up- stepping away from her blade and looked around- testing the ground's steadiness. "Ok. It's safe now."

Immediately Gray stood up. "Ok- what the hell was that?" Then he turned to Natsu. "Didn't you sense that coming or something? You know like most animals?"

Natsu scowled. "I have Dragon Magic- not Dog Magic."

"Sometimes I wonder if there's a difference." Gray looked away as he muttered to himself- but Natsu obviously still caught it.

"Of course there is! Dogs don't breathe fire!" Natsu snapped.

"Although that's true- I'm fairly sure that there's more differences than that." Lucy said with a sigh as she stood up- still holding onto Happy, looking around. "Back on topic though- that was no normal earthquake."

"I'm going to have to agree." Carla spoke up as Wendy stood. "Since when does thunder have anything to do with earthquakes- it's almost as if someone was hitting the ground and that was the sound reverberating from it."

"Strong punch." Natsu muttered, looking around and sniffing the air- a look of shock passing his face before he turned towards a thicker part of the trees behind them. "Come out whoever you are!"

...FT...

Makarov frowned as a familiar presence approached his Guild Hall- not one of his children however, the old man realized as he stood up- glaring at the doors. The rest of the guild became quieter- all of them noticing the sudden change in their Guild Master's dimenar.

Mira peeked back from washing one of the plates as the familiar feeling came over her- she knew that aura, but that didn't give her a good feeling.

Soon the whole guild was able to hear the footsteps slowly approach the door and several members stood up flashing their magic- or weapons as the doors slowly creaked open and a man dressed in a nice white tux walked in. The Guild Master's eyes widened in shock as he recognized the man, despite the last time he had seen him the man had a mustache. However other than that the man looked the exact same- still greying hairs- brown determined, but cold eyes- nice white tux, and a stature of high power.

"Backenstall." Makarov growled, glaring at the _"Lord"_ Standing in the doorway to his guild. "I thought that you were a part of that illusion.

"No-no I am quite real- I can assure you of that. Backenstall said as he looked around the guild hall. "Quite the friendly little place you have here. When I called you for the games I was hoping to have the opportunity to see this place sometime- as you can imagine I hear quite the interesting and entertaining stories of this guild."

The old Guild Master shifted on the counter. "Enough of this- get to the main point already." Makarov cut in. "If you're here then what have you done with Natsu?" He asked watching as Elfman made his way behind the man, and raising his eyebrows as the man held up a palm sized orb and peeked back at the Beast Mode man.

"You all can relax- I am not here to fight. Quite the opposite exactly." Backenstall spoke and tossed the orb to Elfman- who easily caught it in his large hands- staring at it quizzically for a moment before looking back up at Backenstall. "What is this thing?"

"That thing- is something that you should be very careful with, assuming that you want your friends to survive." Backenstall said as he peeked back for a moment- eyeing the orb before walking forward- sitting down at a table that had cleared itself- making himself quite at home. "That- my friends is where your friends are."

"What are you talking about?" Makarov asked- gesturing Elfman to bring the orb to him- in which the Take-Over Mage did so, and the Guild Master studied the orb carefully in his hands- being extra careful not to drop it. "What is this thing?"

"A world."

The entire guild was silent as they stared at the Lord- unsure how to react to his statement. Until Makarov spoke up. "A world?"

Backenstall nodded. "Yes. A fake world created by the enemy to trap their target. Currently they have several members of your guild and a couple of my own in that thing." Backenstall spoke- pointing to the orb.

"Natsu's team is in there?" Cana spoke up- looking over at the palm sized orb. "How the hell did that happen?"

"A powerful spell." Backenstall stood up. "Our current problem however is if that orb is broken everybody trapped inside will die."

And the guild was silent once more before Elfman spoke up. "Ok then the simple manly way to fix that problem is that we won't break it- how do we get them out?"

"There is no way for us to break the spell from the outside." Backenstall answered almost immediately- fairly sure of himself. He looked around the guild as the guild members looked at each other worryingly.

Cana scowled, "So what? We're supposed to leave them in there!" She snapped.

The Lord calmly looked back at the brunette. "I'm sure those on the inside will find a way out. Currently we need to worry about the enemy that is heading this way." Backenstall stated. "The enemy an ally of mine stole the orb from is on its way here to finish their job."

Makarov frowned as he handed to orb to Mira- who was extra careful with it as he hopped off the counter. "They wish to destroy it?"

"And kill everybody inside." Backenstall said with a nod.

The Guild Master seemed to think it over for a fraction of a second before nodding and turning to Cana. "Cana try to see if you can get in contact with Laxus's, Gajeel's or Natsu's teams. If you cannot we will assume that they have been caught. Are any other teams missing?" The Master called out and watched as his children looked around and shook their heads. Then he turned back to Backenstall. "I will trust you for now- but if this is another attempt to harm Natsu do not think that you will be leaving this place unharmed."

"I am not the one aiming to harm your boy. Currently I also have a friend trapped inside." Backenstall calmly spoke, despite the threat being shot his way. "That is all that I am interested in."

Makarov slowly nodded, seeing no lie in the man's words- he would still have to keep an eye out for Natsu's safety- after all Backenstall had been the one to request Natsu participate in some games that had almost got him killed, and to disappear right afterwards- was almost screaming guilty. "This enemy- what should we expect when they arrive?" The Guild Master asked.

Backenstall frowned. "A war."

...FT...

The Iron Dragon Slayer sniffed the air. "Dammit." He growled once more. Frowning confused, as a child that was clearly not from their era ran by- waving a muddy stick in the air, a child that he could not pick any scent from despite being right next to the damn thing. "What the hell is going on?"

 _Gajeel, with team Shadowgear- and of course Pantherlily (who was being held by Levy) were coming back from a relatively easy job when they had spotted a hooded man on the trail ahead of them._

 _The Iron Dragon Slayer frowned as a bad feeling swept over him and immediately he stopped- turning his arm into an iron club as he got into battle position. "Who the hell are you?" He yelled at the unknown person before them- judging by the size Gajeel assumed it to be a man._

 _The rest of the group took that as a cue and tensed up- getting ready for a fight- Pantherlily hopping out of Levy's arms and drawing his sword as both it- and himself transformed into a more threatening size, standing protectively in front of the smaller girl._

 _The hooded man in front of them made an annoyed sound as he looked at the group- examining each one of them for a moment. "Dammit- wrong Dragon Slayer. Just my luck." The man sighed. "Oh well- Master did tell me to grab as many of you fairies as I could."_

 _Then everything turned pitch black- followed by a bright flash of light._

And now here they were in the middle of a city that none of them had seen in their lives. Levy watched as people moved around what seemed to be a farmer's market, buying food and small trinkets as they gossiped about topics that made no sense to any of them.

"Hey Shrimp, any clue where we are?" Gajeel called back to the small bluenette- who frowned at the nickname, but said no more.

The Speed Mage looked around the town they were in- watching the people around them as an idea came to mind. "That's simple- how about we ask someone?" Jet spoke up- gesturing to a group of women approaching them. The speed Mage stepped up in front of them, looking at one of the women specifically. "Um, excuse me ma'am- do you happen to know where we are? We're travelers you see-"

Instead of getting a real answer the women gave him an odd look and continued walking. "Well that was odd." Droy mumbled and tried asking a man passing him- only to get the same reaction. The other's tried as well- Levy getting an odd look while the people Gajeel asked more shrieked out of fear and back away- mumbling more nonsense and Levy realized- she couldn't understand them.

"I don't think they can understand us." Levy called out, Pantherlily- in her arms- nodded as he listened to the people- it sounded close to their language- just twisted in a way.

"Like a different Language?" Dray asked.

"I suppose-" Pantherlily spoke up, "I'm not sure what it is exactly- but we won't be able to communicate with this people." The Black Exceed explained as he looked over at Gajeel. "Our best chance is to find that man who brought us here and get him to tell us where we are."

Gajeel nodded. "Then we'll find that bastard." He declared and turned, sniffing the air- frowning as nothing familiar came to him- and even more confused that he couldn't smell any of these people despite them being all around him.

Then a scent hit his nose and his eyes widened. "What the?"

"What is it?" Levy spoke up.

"Did you find the guy?" Droy immediately asked as he looked over at the Iron Dragon Slayer- his friend, Jet stepping up next to him as they waited for a reply.

"No." Gajeel took another sniff, "It smells like Salamander."

Jet turned, "Natsu's here?"

"That man did say that he was looking for a different Dragon Slayer." Pantherlily spoke, shifting in Levy's arms.

"It's close." Gajeel frowned. "But not exactly his scent."

...FT...

"Come out whoever you are!" Natsu yelled into the tree line, lighting his fist a blaze and the rest of the team tensed up- Gray getting into his stance, Erza reequipping her sword, Lucy tugging on her keys, Wendy getting into a good roaring stance, with Carla going into her human form, and Happy flying above them pulled a fish from his bag- ready to beat anybody with it.

Nothing moved as the group of Mages glared into the tree line- making it seem like Natsu had just about attacked a group of trees. Erza scanned the forest for a moment before calling out. "No point hiding from us now that Natsu has caught your scent." The requip Mage called into the tree line, her tone calm- but demanding.

They were met with more silence- the leaves didn't even twitch. Then the group heard a lazy sigh. "I suppose not." A man's voice spoke and not a moment after the owner stepped lazily out of the trees. "Took you long enough, actually." The scruffy looking smoking man spoke as he shifted what looked like a rifle on his shoulder holding his other hand up in surrender- his face however not seemingly caring about his current situation. "I can promise you that I am no enemy of yours." He spoke dryly.

The group looked at each other- not sure how to react, this man hadn't been what they were expecting. Natsu peeked over at Gray who shrugged in return, but all of them kept their battle stances. Finally, Erza looked back at the man. "Are you the one who's been watching us since we've arrived?" The Fairy Queen demanded- sword still drawn and ready.

"No." The smoker said as he waved his hands dismissively and looked over at Natsu, who tensed up as the smoker's eyes met his own. "That would be the people who put you in here."

"And you're not one of them?" Gray snapped- drawing the man's attention away from Natsu. He was also still in his attacking position- since none the group had relaxed.

The smoker sighed once more. "No, I am not. If I was you would all be dead. I had been on your tail for a good ten minutes now." The smoker said as he sat down. "I'm here to get you idiots- and my own pal- who got dragged in here after you, out."

"Out?" Wendy asked.

"Hold up a sec-" Natsu pointed at the man, "Did you have anything to do with that freaky earthquake a moment ago?"

The smoker frowned- puzzled as he tried to decode what Natsu was talking about. "Oh that?" He asked after a moment- receiving a nod from the pinkette for confirmation. The smoker pointed to the sky. "That was probably someone tossing this world around."

"Eh?"

Erza lowered her sword and stood up straight. " _World_? What do you mean by that? And what do you mean _out_?"

"Not quick to catch on are you?" The smoker snickered, "Not surprising- magic like this isn't too common now-a-days." His finger switched to pointing at the scarlet haired Mage. "You all have been trapped in a world created by a very powerful Mage." He said- shifting the gun off his shoulder and onto the ground. "That Mage can decide what happens here and in the meantime the world itself in real life is an orb about the size of my palm."

"Dude- you're not making any sense." Natsu frowned- his head practically spinning.

The smoker chuckled, "Not too surprising coming from you." Said the Smoker. "You're trapped in a magical orb which creates a fake world for anybody inside, think of it as an alternate reality. In short- if somebody destroys that orb we all die."

Natsu gulped, "Well uh- I get that part."

"How do we get out?" Lucy spoke up.

"Now you're talking." The smoker stood up, brushing himself off and picking up his gun. "There is one way out- like an emergency escape. The Dark Mage sent some of his own people in here- they are the ones who are keeping an eye on you in order to make sure you don't find the exit. I bet they also have guards for the exit as well. We need to get to that exit before his army hits Magnolia."

"Wait Magnolia?" Natsu stepped up- grabbing the man's sleeve, "Who? What army?"

The smoker looked down at the pinkette- but made no move to shove him away. "Before I sent myself in here I was able to retrieve the orb and gave it to an ally of mine who should be in Magnolia- your Guild Hall as we speak. Now to keep things simple-" He tuned to Natsu. "The Dark Guild that wanted you dead during the games- do you remember them?"

The Fire Mage frowned as he thought back on the games- how could he forget? He remembered Dallas's attack and his body tensed up on reflex. "Which one? I had a price on my head." Natsu frowned.

The smoker nodded. "The main one- let's just say that they are the ones that dragged you here."

Gray frowned- remembering his own take on the games. They were used to Natsu getting into trouble, but for a Dark Guild to specifically target Natsu? That had been a terrifying first for them. _So, Gramps was right- that wasn't the end of it. Whoever is after Natsu is still out there._ He looked over at the Fire Mage- who was paying attention to the stranger. _And now they're back._ "So, this entire thing is another attempt on Natsu's life?" Gray growled, looking back at the stranger.

"Exactly." The smoker looked once again over to Gray. "All the enemy has to do now is get ahold of the orb we are trapped in and destroy it. The orb that is currently in your guild hall." He looked back down at Natsu. "The man that is after you will stop at nothing to kill you. He will send everybody that he can to take back that orb. A war will break out in Magnolia."

"Who is this guy?" Natsu asked. "You seem to know a lot about him."

The smoker hesitated, "Not as much as I would like. The old man knows more. All I know is that he is a Master of a very powerful Dark Guild. And he knows a lot about you-" The smoker looked into Natsu's eyes. "More then you know."

Natsu frowned. _More than I know?_ He looked away for a moment- staring off into space as he seemed to think the situation over, before he looked back at the man- his eyes glowing in determination. "If a war is gonna break out I'm not letting my guild fight on their own. We're getting out of here and kicking that Dark Guild Master's ass!" He declared- pounding his fist into his palm and letting the hit give off a little explosion for emphasis.

Gray smirked, shifting on his feet. "Wouldn't be the first Dark Guild Master we've dealt with. Sounds like fun."

"Fun isn't how I would describe it." Lucy sighed, "But let's do this!"

"Here we go again." Carla sighed, and Wendy nodded in determination.

"Our Guild needs us!" The small bluenette spoke up.

"Aye sir!"

Erza nodded and walked forward, "Sounds like we're all in. Where is this exit?"

The smoker nodded, shifting his gun and gesturing towards the direction they were heading in. "Before you go there you need to meet up with the others that have been taken here. You'll need their help in order to fight the guards in here. As for the exit- the enemies will know. They'll need to, or they'll be killed when the orb is destroyed as well." The smoker explained. "First thing is first. Go to the city, you'll meet your friends there." He ordered. "I need to go find the guy that I came here for- I'll meet you guys there. If you meet up with your friends before I get there- go ahead of me, we'll catch up."

Team Natsu nodded. "Got it." Erza said, "Is there a name we could call you by first?"

"Just call me Smoker." The smoker said as he showed his cigarette. "I'm used to it." then he pointed. "Now go- the city is in that direction and we don't have any time to lose- some powerful enemies will show up soon when they realize what you are up to." He said and looked over at Natsu. "And most of them won't wait for the orb to be destroyed to kill you. They'll want to do it themselves- expect anything to happen." the smoker explained and Natsu slowly nodded.

"Got it!" Then they spit off- Team Natsu running towards the city as the Smoker turned and rushed in the opposite direction. Peeking back at Natsu's pink head as he rushed out of view.

Then the smoker looked ahead. "Like father- like son," He snickered as he rushed through the trees.

"Now- where are you, you idiot?"

...FT...

He came out of nowhere, "Laxus!" Evergreen yelled as she flew out of the way of the bulky- but sharp black blade swung in her direction.

Laxus slid back some ways- taking a deep breathe, "Lightning Dragon's Roar!" He yelled and attacked, but the man in the bulky black armor- large enough to take on Elfman's beast mode was somehow easily able to move out of the way.

"Come on Laxus!" The man yelled, "I know that you can do better than that!" the Requip Mage taunted. "You're on solid ground this time! You can't blame Dragon Slayer motion sickness!"

Laxus scowled watching the familiar man. "You're Gazumaki correct? From Death Cloud?"

"What's this I thought we were so close? It took you this long for you to remember me? I'm hurt." Gazumaki fake pouted.

"Somebody like you is hardly worth me remembering." Laxus scowled. "And let me guess this is what you meant back then?"

 _Laxus sighed and looked over at Gazumaki- who was still lying on the ground. He frowned and turned away, stopping in his tracks when he heard Gazumaki snicker._

 _The Dark Mage must've known that Laxus could hear him because he looked directly over at him. "Even if you somehow manage to beat us this still won't be over-" He chuckled. "That boy is going to die."_

 _Laxus walked up and glared down at the man, "You better hope he doesn't- if that kid dies then you and your guild will be the ones to suffer Fairy Tail's wrath over and over again." Then he turned away and left._

Gazumaki snickered. "Yeah- pretty much, not exactly but this'll work." He said and looked around his arms spread as if he was showing off the world. "Yup! This is it- all we need to do now is tear that pathetic guild of yours to the ground then you're all dead." He made a throat slitting motion as he grinned from ear to ear. You're gonna wish your Master never found that kid."

"This doesn't make any sense." Evergreen spoke from her spot high in the air, "That price was only for the games. Why are you people still after him?"

"Cause of what he is." Gazumaki spoke, "But none of that matters. For now, I'm just having a bit of fun." Gazumaki requipped a second large sword. "Cause in about one day- you'll all be dead." He said and attacked- appearing right in front of Laxus and caught him with the blunt side of the blade- throwing him back. "Oh, and just to let you know, I am stronger than back then." He looked up with an insane grin on his face. "A lot stronger." He chuckled, his eyes practically glowing.

Freed's eyes widened. No- they were glowing, a bright yellow. "I don't remember that from last time." He muttered then called down to Laxus, "Careful! Looks like he's got some sort of power up!"

"Very good!" Gazumaki cheered then once again appeared before Laxus- this time Laxus using his lightning speed to move out of the way of the sword- which left a deep crack in the ground for as far as the eye could see. Then he swung around with his other sword and Laxus was barely able to dodge once more. "The Master gave me a special gift for me to play with! All I have to do is tear you fairies to shreds!" He yelled as he continued to attack- trying to hit the three airborne Mages.

Then Gazumaki whirled around and rushed towards Laxus- blade raised once more and smashed into one of the barriers that Freed had put up in defense-

And broke through it.

Laxus's eyes slightly widened in surprise as the man rushed towards him. _What?_ Before too many questions could pop into Laxus's mind he was forced to dodge once more.

Up above Freed could only stare as the others tried to attack Gazumaki- but was moving far too fast for Bickslow or Evergreen to hit and Laxus was a bit busy dodging. "How?" Freed muttered, "My barriers don't just shatter like that."

 _This is not the time for that! We need to defeat this man!_ Freed held up his sword, "Dark Ecriture-" He swooped down- whirling around and was barely able to catch Gazumaki's side, "Pain!"

It wasn't much of a hit- but it was enough for Gazumaki to curse in pain and stumble- which gave the other three a chance to attack- Evergreen hitting him with her Fairy Magic- Bickslow his "Babies" Blast and finally Laxus appeared in front of him.

"I warned you people didn't I? Anything happens to that kid and you'll deal with the Fairies Wrath." He growled, then struck him with an electric fist into the gut- throwing him high into the air and back several hundred yards.

Team Laxus watched as Gazumaki crashed into the ground- kicking up dust as he landed. "Did we get him?"

"That would be pathetic if you did." Said a child's voice behind them and the three of them whirled around, looking down at a young girl no older than eight years old, with pitch black hair and a tattered grey dress.

Evergreen backed up- a bad feeling churning in all of their guts by looking at the little girl. The girl from the games was creepy enough- but this one was much worse. The little girl puffed out her cheeks- leaning to the side as she looked past the four powerful Mages that were obviously much bigger than her- but the girl didn't seem to be worried. "Come on Maki- what are you doing?" She called out, "Do you want to fail our Master like you did your last one?"

"I told me not to call me that you brat." Gazumaki growled as he crawled out of the crater his body had made, with bruises covering his body- but other than that unharmed.

Laxus looked back at the little girl, "Are you a member of Death Cloud?"

The girl looked up, "That pathetic guild?" She giggled, "Nah- I wiped them out, well besides the ones who Master said were still useful."

Evergreen shivered, _she defeated an entire Dark Guild?_ "What Guild are you from?"

"I'm from Black Knight!" The little girl giggled, her hands behind her back as she hopped childishly from side to side on the pads of her feet. "My name is Aia Leera! I'm a Shadow Demon Slayer!"

"Demon Slayer?" Freed couldn't help but feel a bit surprised.

"Yup- but I'm a real one, unlike that so-called Demon Slayer in your guild." She stopped, scowling to the side. "Letting one stay so close to him is disgusting. Now that's really pathetic." The little girl hissed and Freed snuck a sideways glance at Laxus. "Anyway!" She yelled and all but Laxus jumped. "Maki we have orders from Master!"

"I told you not to call me-" Gazumaki stopped, "What's the orders?"

Aia pointed at the Fairy Tail Mages. "We need to keep these guys busy." She cooed then looked up into Laxus's eyes. "Dragneel will be dead soon."

The Fairy Tail Mages shifted, _Natsu!_

Gazumaki sighed and shifted on his feet- the Dark Mage seemed to think it over for a moment before he grinned- his eyes glowing once more, and shadows exploded at Aia's feet. "Sounds like fun!"

...FT...

Lucy glanced up. "It's too quiet." She mumbled and looked ahead to Natsu- who was right in front of her. "Natsu? Do you hear anything?"

Natsu didn't say anything- but the small shake of his head answered enough. She watched as the pinkette glanced around the trees wearily- his eyes traveling to the sky long enough to make sure before looking ahead.

Erza, at the back of the group snuck a peek behind them- seeing nothing but the pushed aside grass that they had made in their rush and more trees. No animals, no people. Whether. It be enemies or Smoker- whoever he was. There was nothing. "Keep an eye out." Erza ordered and the others nodded silently.

Something seemed to explode to the left of them and Team Natsu jumped at the sudden noise. Natsu peeked over at the smoke rising from the top of the trees. "What was that?" He asked- behind him Gray craned his neck to try and get a look over the top of the trees- with no such luck.

The Requip Mage saw the smoke and snuck another glance behind them, "Can you smell anything?" Erza looked back at Natsu and called out to the Fire Dragon Slayer- who was still ahead of them.

Natsu peeked back and frowned looking ahead and sniffed the air- his eyes widening in shock, and he skidded to a stop. "Wait-" Then he felt a sharp pain in the back of his shoulder and his body dropped- crashing hard into the ground. Letting out a cry of pain-

Except there had been no sound.

In the corner of his eye he could see that Wendy was down. He tried to open his mouth to yell- but his mouth hadn't even moved to make sound.

Boots appeared in his vision and his eyes would widen if they could as the person rolled him over- letting the Fire Dragon Slayer see him. "It's been a while hasn't it Dragneel." The Man said- looking the paralyzed Dragon Slayer over- the chain on his side still reeking of blood.

Behind Natsu, Gray tried to struggle- but his body wouldn't move- around him the others were also paralyzed. _Get the hell away from him!_ Gray tried to yell- but his mouth hadn't even moved, and he realized. _This is that needle that he stuck Natsu with last time!_

Erza tried to requip a sword- but like her body her magic seemed to be frozen as well- but the man kneeling next to Natsu was still in her sight and she had to move. She tried to close her eyes to will her body to move- but her eyes wouldn't even shut.

 _Natsu!_ Happy tried to scream- but his mouth wouldn't move. Next to him, Carla could see from her narrow view just how panicked the Blue Exceed was despite not being able to move. _What is this? Wait- of course- He did this to Natsu during the games!_

Wendy felt as his she was struggling like her life depended on it- but her body wasn't even twitching- Next to her Lucy could only stare in horror.

 _No- nononononono!_ She inwardly screamed. _Where's Smoker! We need him- we're- Natsu's in trouble!_

They were in trouble.

Because kneeling next to Natsu was Black Knight's Kirum Kortorzi.

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 **...FT...**

 **Ha! Good to be back! Finally, Chapter seven is done!**

 **Again, sorry for the extra-long wait- I hope that I'll have more time for this story this year because I really like it! But you know life is life- and it can be a jerk.**

 **Anyways!**

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **Plz review!**

 **But no Flames Plz!**

' **Till Next time!**


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